‘Slap in the Face': Poland Passes Law Effectively Blocking Holocaust-Era Art Restitutions

Nicholas O'Donnell was quoted in the article, "'Slap in the Face': Poland Passes Law Effectively Blocking Holocaust-Era Art Restitutions," published by The Art Newspaper on August 16, 2021.

Poland’s president, Andrzej Duda, has approved a new law curbing restitution claims, effectively preventing Holocaust survivors from regaining property seized during and after the Second World War. The law sets a 30-year limit on any claims to property, including art, stolen by Nazi Germany that was then confiscated by Poland's Communist regime. "My reaction is that this is not at all surprising coming from a regime for which anti-Semitism is official policy, and it will do exactly as it is intended: to make what is already very hard nearly impossible," commented Nick.