Property National Museums Recovery (MNR)
About 2,200 works not returned after the war were entrusted to the custody of national museums and identified as «National Museums Recovery» (MNR). The Rose-Valland database gathers all the information available on these works and their journey, in order to increase their knowledge and allow their eventual restitution.
What is a MNR?
The Rose-Valland database (MNR-Jeu de Paume)
“Proactive” Research
Distribution and location
Restitution of works National Museum Recovery
What is a MNR?
Origin
At the end of the Second World War, about 60,000 works recovered in Germany or in territories controlled by the «Third Reich» were sent back to France because some clues (archives, inscriptions, etc.) suggested that they came from it.
Of these 60,000 items returned from Germany, 45,000 stolen goods were returned to their owners by the Commission de récupération artistique (CRA) between 1945 and 1950. Of the approximately 15,000 works that had not been claimed or returned, the administration, through «commissions of choice», selected them on various criteria - including artistic interest, but not only - more than 2200, that have been entrusted to the custody of the national museums. They constitute the works called MNR, «National Museums Recovery». The remaining 13,000 works were sold by the state (Domain Administration) in the early 1950s.
The selected properties had to be exhibited in museums to leave the spoliated still an opportunity to claim them. At the end of a legal period, these goods had to become state property. But this deadline was never fixed and the NCMs remained temporarily in the custody of the National Museums.
MNR and spoliation
Not all MNR works are necessarily stolen works.
Indeed, all works and works of art from France were brought back from Germany to France after the Second World War, regardless of how they arrived in Germany during the war. Among them were works and objects sold on the art market during the Occupation by owners who were not threatened or persecuted (example: MNR 973A), as well as a number of parts ordered by the Germans (example: MCSR CVIII), which are also included in the NCMs.
The proportion of stolen works in all NCMs remains uncertain, as the provenance of the majority of works remains unknown.
NCMs are classified into different categories according to the known information:
- Work Certainly Stolen:
- returned or under way;
- owner unknown in the current state of research. - Work probably spoliated, in the state of current research.
- Work certainly not spoliated.
- Work probably not spoliated, in the state of current research.
- Work whose history is incomplete between 1933 and 1945, in the state of current research.
Research on NCMs is continuing today, in order to complete the history of the works and to determine whether they are MNR likely or certainly spoliated – whose owners and rights holders must be identified for restitution. or MNR probably or certainly not spoliated.
Status
NCMs were created by the decree of 30 September 1949 : these works do not belong to the State, which is only the provisional holder. MNR works are therefore not part of national or territorial collections; they are inscribed on specific inventories. Their management is ensured by the Ministry of Culture (Mission of research and restitution of cultural goods stolen between 1933 and 1945 (M2RS) and Service des musées de France (SMF). They are assigned to a national museum and can then be deposited in a museum labeled «musée de France» in the region. MNR works may be returned to their rightful owners without any limitation date.
Designation
The acronym «MNR» commonly refers to all the works selected in the early 1950s. In reality, each type of object has a specific prefix; the acronym MNR strictly speaking refers only to old paintings.
SIGLE | Meaning | Affected museum |
A, AGRR, Out of inventory | greco-roman antiquities | Louvre, Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities |
AOR | oriental antiquities | Louvre, Oriental Antiquities and Islamic Arts |
CA | gallo-roman antiquities | Louvre, Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities |
ER | egyptian antiquities | Louvre, Egyptian Antiquities |
MCSR | ceramics | Sèvres, National Museum of Ceramics |
MM | napoleonic souvenirs | Museum of the castle of Malmaison |
MNR | 19th century and ancient paintings | Louvre, Paintings, and Musée d'Orsay |
MNR 50 55 | utilitarian objects | Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (MUCEM) |
OAR | antiques | Louvre, Art & Collectibles |
R x D | modern designs | National Museum of Modern Art |
R x OA | modern art objects | National Museum of Modern Art |
R x P | modern paintings | National Museum of Modern Art |
R x S | modern sculptures | National Museum of Modern Art |
The Rose-Valland database (MNR-Jeu de Paume)
In order to facilitate the search and possible recognition by looted owners, the Service des musées de France designed in 1997 the site Rose Valland-National Museum Recovery, become from the base Rose-Valland (MNR-Jeu de Paume), accessible through the pop.culture.fr website (open heritage platform). The mission of MNR museums is to research the history of the works and to identify the owners. This research is conducted in conjunction with the M2RS and published on the Rose-Valland database as they progress.
The base Rose-Valland (MNR-Jeu de Paume) contains a record of work for each NRM. Each record gathers most of the information available on the journey of the work, from its creation to its current location, its inventory number, its description, etc., as well as photos.
This database also contains data on works exhibited under the Occupation by theEinsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR) to museum of the Jeu de Paume.
Operation of the Rose-Valland base
The database can be queried in many ways. Before starting a search, it is advisable to read a few instructions carefully, in order to identify the type of information that is there and how they are structured. It is then possible to exploit the full potential of the database.
Download here research assistance.
“Proactive” Research
In addition to the processing of requests for restitution received by the administration, the Minister of Culture and Communication Aurélie Filippetti, following a proposal from the CIVS, Aware that the processing of families' restitution requests alone would not be enough to increase the number of restitution, in 2013, wished to launch a new approach. It was a question of working on the provenance of the MNR works to try to identify the owner at the time of their spoliation, without waiting for a possible request from the rights holders.
Thus, in March 2013, a working group was created to study the provenance of 145 MNR works considered to have been stolen in a certain or almost certain way. The working group, chaired by a CIVS Magistrate Rapporteur, was made up of specialised curators of museums, archives and libraries, assisted by members of the CIVS and the Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah. This team conducted specific research to try to discover elements of provenance that could lead to the restitution of the works concerned.
The working group issued two reports on the origins of looted works, in 2014 and 2017.
The work of the group has also made it more evident that some NCMs may not be further documented, regardless of the research undertaken: this is particularly the case for seizures of property under the Möbel Aktion », for which almost no information is available.
The movement of so-called proactive research, launched in 2013, therefore marks an important step in the policy of reparation of spoliations. It continues today: the Ministry of Culture and the museums continue the search of their own initiative, to identify the MNR spoked, their owners and their rights holders, for a restitution.
Distribution and location
NCM Allocation
As of January 1, 2024, there are 2037 MNR objects held in public institutions. All MNR not being stolen property, they are not all returnable.
NCMs fall into several categories according to their origin and knowledge of their possible spoliation:
- Work certainly stolen, owner unknown in the state of current research: 64
- Work probably plundered, in the state of current research: 81
- Work certainly not stolen: 93
- Probably unpopular work, as at present researched: 34
- Work whose history is incomplete between 1933 and 1945, in the state of current research: 1765
SIGLE | Meaning | Affected museum | Number of works and works of art |
A, AGRR, Out of inventory | greco-roman antiquities | Louvre, Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities | 18 |
AOR | oriental antiquities | Louvre, Oriental Antiquities and Islamic Arts | 28 |
CA | gallo-roman antiquities | Louvre, Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities | 2 |
ER | egyptian antiquities | Louvre, Egyptian Antiquities | 8 |
MCSR | ceramics | Sèvres, National Museum of Ceramics | 137 |
MM | napoleonic souvenirs | Museum of the castle of Malmaison | 1 |
MNR | ancient paintings and 19th century | Louvre, Paintings, and Musée d'Orsay | 941 (Louvre 795 Orsay 146) |
MNR 50 55 | utilitarian objects | Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (MUCEM) | 12 |
OAR | antiques | Louvre, Art & Collectibles | 618 |
R x D | modern designs | National Museum of Modern Art | 10 |
R x OA | modern art objects | National Museum of Modern Art | 1 |
R x P | modern paintings | National Museum of Modern Art | 19 |
R x S | modern sculptures | National Museum of Modern Art | 14 |
REC | ancient graphic arts | Louvre, Graphic Arts, and Musée d'Orsay | 160 (Louvre 101 Orsay 59) |
RFR | ancient sculptures and 19th century | Louvre, Sculptures, and Musée d'Orsay | 64 (Orsay 19 Louvre 45) |
miscellaneous/special cases | 6 | ||
TOTAL | 2039 |
MNR Location
This interactive map allows to locate the museums of France in which the MNR are deposited, and to access the descriptive records of the works on the Rose-Valland base.
Restitution of works National Museums Recovery
MNR works can be returned by decision of the Prime Minister on recommendation of the CIVS or the Ministry of Culture.
On 1 January 2024, the number of MNR assets returned since 1950 was 172. In addition, 14 works brought back from Germany and returned before being inventoried as MNR or entrusted to the custody of the Museum of Art and History of Judaism. That is a total of 186 MNR works and equivalent returned since 1950.
The rate of restitution has changed over time: 41 between 1950 and 1954 (5 years), they are limited to 4 between 1955 and 1993 (39 years), then rise to 141 since 1994 (30 years).
Since 2013, there have been 78 restitutions, 52 of which were initiated by the administration and museums.
- 2013 : 7
- 2014 : 4
- 2015 : 1
- 2016 : 3
- 2017 : 4
- 2018 : 6
- 2019 : 11
- 2020 : 24
- 2021 : 6
- 2022: 3
- 2023 : 9 (last reported on December 19, 2023)
Consult the list of MNR and equivalent works restored since 1950:
View news releases and press kits since 2016:
- April 18, 2023, rights holders of Ernst and Agathe Saulmann and rights holders of Harry Fuld Junior
Press release
Press kit - 7 February 2022, beneficiaries of Gabrielle Philippson, widow Bénard Le Pontois
Press release - 3 February 2022, beneficiaries of Stefan Osusky
Press release - 22 December 2021, beneficiaries of Moise Lévi de Benzion
Press release - 1 July 2021, beneficiaries of Hugo Simon and beneficiaries of Élie-Léon and Georges Lévi-Valensin
Press release
Press kit - 29 October 2020, beneficiaries of Marguerite Stern
Press release - 13 February 2020, beneficiaries of Lucy Jonquet-Colloredo
Press release - 26 July 2018, beneficiaries of Gaston Lévy
Press release - June 2018, rights holders of Pierre and Yvonne de Gunzburg
Press release - 20 June 2018, beneficiaries of Antoinette Leonino
Press release - February 12, 2018, rights holders of Henry and Herta Bromberg
Press release
Press kit - 13 March 2017, beneficiaries of Gentili di Giuseppe
Press release - November 28, 2016, rights holders of Henry and Herta Bromberg
Press release
Press kit - 9 May 2016, beneficiaries of Maurice Dreyfus
Press release
Press kit