In late 2023, the Manhattan District Attorney declared that all stolen art were to be returned: either the DA’s office would seize and return them, or the museums do so themselves. Stolen art has been a hot topic in the art world for years. Whether it be art the Nazis had stolen in World War 2, or art from ancient (and non-ancient) civilizations stolen by tomb raiders and trespassing foreigners, museums all over the world have faced pressure from patrons and local and foreign governments to return the items.

It’s a constant push that has led to many museums returning art—and many not doing so, some of those museums having their art seized. For example, the Met in New York City had 27 ancient artifacts removed from their collections last May. The stolen artifacts were subsequently returned to countries like Italy, Turkey, and Egypt. However, some 45 other artifacts, Cambodian officials claim, still sit in the Met’s collection, stolen from ancient sites. Other museums have been under scrutiny, too. The British Museum, famous for having very few actual British pieces, is in talks to return multiple pieces, like the infamous lonely sister, a Caryatid separated from the others. The Greek government offered an exchange of artifacts, but no progress has been made since mid-December. German and U.S. museums—like the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston—have returned stolen artifacts from Benin to Nigeria. Recently, in January, the Biden Administration passed new regulations that required museums to obtain consent from descendants of tribes or Native Hawaiian Organizations before displaying cultural artifacts. Museums have closed their Ancient Americas wings, bringing in descendants for their opinions.

In many cases, though, most museums have had to return a good portion of their gallery. The Denver Art Museum removed a case with ceramics, contacting over 30 tribes with descent from the Caddoan Mississippian culture, just as a precaution. They were given the all-clear by a couple of tribes and said ceramics were back on view. However, the Fields Museum in Chicago has stated they do not have human remains in their museum amongst objects of cultural significance. The National Parks Service, which has a database of Native American human remains and funerary artifacts, says the Fields Museum has nearly 1,300 human remains and 964 burial objects. The Fields Museum continues to deny the findings in the database. In terms of art stolen by the Nazis, museums are constantly working with descendants and governments to return the art. It’s an ongoing battle that requires a curator of provenance—someone who studies the history of the art and determines if the piece was stolen. Most museums have a curator of provenance, like MFA Boston. Some museums, though, don’t. They’re usually smaller museums, like the AKG in Buffalo. Every so often, however, a larger museum won’t have one. For a while, the Met didn’t have a provenance curator, searching for one after the Manhattan DA released his verdict, and their first couple of objects were seized.

Returning art to its original owners trumps everything. It improves reputation, and historical artifacts and art are returned to where they should be. But a slight problem arises when the general public demands a piece be returned but the original owners ask the museums not to. It’s a rare case, yes, but it happens most often with art stolen from Jewish families. The museums silently reimburse the families, but the public outcry becomes worse. Do the museums give the piece back? Take it off-view? Announce the family's wishes? It’s a complicated dilemma that museums continue to ponder. The other issue—one that has been happening increasingly—is when people take advantage of a museum’s “return policies.” Governments and regular people alike come running to “reclaim” art. The problem is that proving who the art’s original owner is is extremely difficult. 

There was a case recently, with the Whitney Museum. A close friend of Edward Hopper’s had claimed that Hopper’s wife had gifted him 100 paintings before she died. He later sold them to other individuals, the Whitney, and other museums. Then, out came allegations from a former curator that Hopper’s wife had not gifted him these paintings, and instead this friend, a minister, took paintings from a dying lady’s attic. The Whitney, along with the MFA Boston who was implicated in the curator’s allegations, denied it, their provenance curators stating there was no viable proof. If proved true, however, there was no one to give the paintings to. The Hoppers had no children and left all paintings to the Whitney.

Stolen art has always been a hot topic in the art world. From jokes about the British Museum to serious inquiries about ransacked sacred places, people tend to get more excited about stolen art than anything.