**Auschwitz-Birkenau: A lingering shadow on our relationship with art and memory**
On January 27, 1945, the horror of Auschwitz-Birkenau was gradually revealed to the world, thanks to the liberation by the Soviets. On this tragic anniversary, it is essential to reflect not only on the suffering endured by nearly 69,000 deported French Jews, but also on the lasting consequences of their dispossession. Hidden among the dusty vaults of our museums are works of art and cultural artifacts that are not mere material goods, but silent testimonies of a painful past that we must confront.
### A stolen heritage: a memory to be recovered
The millions of pieces of art and culture stolen by the Nazi regime tell a story of violence and dispossession. Between 1933 and 1945, the dispossession took on industrial proportions, with hundreds of thousands of works of art, books and objects of cultural significance stolen from their owners, often Jewish, victims of systematic genocide. It is a tragic legacy that we continue to clumsily manage.
In December 1998, the signing of the Washington Agreement by Germany and 43 other states marked a turning point in the restitution of looted works. A renewed hope, but 25 years later, it is clear that this hope has not yet become a reality for many families. Despite the progress made through the declassification of documents and the digitization of collections, the path to justice is still fraught with pitfalls.
### Art and Resistance: Giving Voice to the Silenced
The statistics are troubling: only 3% of Jews deported from France survived the Holocaust, leaving behind not only lost lives but also cultural legacies. The restitution of works of art is not limited to an administrative act; it is deeply symbolic. Each work found is a cry of resistance against the erasure of identities and histories. Each return of a painting or sculpture is a restitution of a memory, a life, a story.
However, the majority of works have been inherited by museums and remain frozen in wait. Around 2,000 works in France are waiting to be found by their true owners; some of the descendants whose ancestors were robbed spend their lives searching for them, often in vain.
### A challenge for humanity: facing up to our responsibilities
While museums have often retreated behind conservation policies, it is imperative that they confront the reality of this history. This involves working collaboratively with organizations such as the World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO) to map the provenance of each work and understand often fictionalized narratives. Transparency must be a cornerstone of this effort, as must the integration of this narrative into our educational programs.
The lessons of history must not remain frozen in the past. By addressing the issue of restitution through cultural events, exhibitions that shine a light on these forgotten narratives, museums can serve as platforms for active dialogues around memory and responsibility.
### Conclusion: Giving voice to the absent
The liberation of Auschwitz was not only the goal of a military battle, but also the beginning of an ongoing struggle against forgetting. As we celebrate January 27, we must not only remember the victims, but also commit to restoring their stories, their belongings, and, above all, their dignity.
With new revelations about these dispossessions emerging and technological advances at our disposal, it is time to work together—artists, museums, researchers, and families—to bring back to life the stories of these men and women whose art and culture were brutally ripped away. The road will be long, but each step toward restitution brings us closer to the challenge of humanity that we must honor.