In January, a U.S. federal appeals court ruled that the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid, Spain, gets to keep artwork that it knows Nazi Germans stole because Spanish law dictates that it must do so.
On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed a bill that dictates that California state law govern in cases like the one with the Spanish museum.
Under the new law, AB 2867, owners of works or their agents or law enforcement can sue for damages or the recovery of stolen works for six years after they learn the whereabouts of the works. Those who knew about the location of their stolen property have two years from when the law takes effect or six years from when they learned where the works are located, whichever is later.
Newsom signed the bill during a reception at the Holocaust Museum LA. “For survivors of the Holocaust and their families, the fight to take back ownership of art and other personal items stolen by the Nazis continues to traumatize those who have already gone through the unimaginable,” the governor stated.
“It is both a moral and legal imperative that these valuable and sentimental pieces be returned to their rightful owners, and I am proud to strengthen California’s laws to help secure justice for families,” he added.
“This law sends a clear message from the people of California to all museums and governments, including the government of Spain, that museums should have no right to hold stolen art,” stated Sam Dubbin, an attorney for the Cassirer family which has sought the return of artwork from the Madrid museum.
