Italy Advances Holocaust Art Restitution Bill
Legislation would create Italy's first formal process to return art and cultural propoerty looted under Fascist and Nazi persecution.
Italy has taken a major step toward creating its first formal process for returning art and cultural property looted during the Holocaust and the Fascist era, with lawmakers advancing legislation aimed at addressing long-standing restitution claims.
Bill 2834, introduced in the Italian Parliament and reviewed by the Chamber of Deputies' Committee on Culture, Science and Education, would authorize the government to establish a legal framework for returning artworks and cultural property seized, looted or lost because of antisemitic persecution under Italy's Fascist racial laws beginning in 1938 and during the broader Holocaust era from 1933 to 1945.