Art Law Colloquium: Nazi Art Plunder in Postwar Western Europe

About the Speaker:

Elizabeth Campbell is an Associate Professor of History and the Director of the Center for Art Collection Ethics (ACE). Her academic expertise spans modern European and French history, with a focus on the French Revolution, Europe during the World Wars, Nazi art looting, and the history and memory of World War II in France, as well as the Algerian war of independence.

Her first book, Defending National Treasures: French Art and Heritage under Vichy (Stanford University Press, 2011), explores French cultural policy during the German occupation. Based on extensive research in French archives, the book examines the Vichy regime's reaction to Nazi looting of Jewish art collections, revealing how curators and museum directors sought to acquire plundered works for permanent display in state-run museums such as the Louvre. This study challenges traditional narratives of anti-Nazi resistance within France’s fine arts administration.

Professor Campbell's current book project, tentatively titled Museum Worthy: Nazi-Era Art in Postwar Western Europe (Oxford University Press, forthcoming), investigates the Allied recovery of plundered art and compares restitution practices in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Her research highlights how postwar governments in these countries retained unclaimed artworks for exhibition in state-run museums, leading to controversies, litigation in the 1990s, and continuing cultural property disputes.

Recognizing the critical importance of provenance research and the ethical stewardship of art collections, Professor Campbell founded the Center for Art Collection Ethics (ACE) in consultation with faculty and staff at the University of Denver. Since its inception in 2018, ACE has advanced its mission by promoting ethical practices in art collection management through training programs and outreach via social media.

Host or Publisher Center for Art Law