The Flemish government will establish a permanent commission for the restitution of Nazi-looted art, according to its minister of culture Caroline Gennez.

The newly created body will assess claims relating to artworks potentially looted during the Nazi era and advise the Flemish authorities on restitution cases involving objects in public collections. Local authorities, private owners, and heirs will also be able to submit requests for review. In addition, the commission will conduct provenance research and consult with all parties involved.

Two pending claims concerning three artworks in the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) are expected to be among the commission’s first cases.

The initiative follows recommendations made by a temporary advisory committee on Nazi-looted art, which concluded its work in 2025.

At the same time, Flanders plans to intensify proactive provenance research, in line with the Strategic Vision Note on Arts and Heritage approved earlier this year. Financial support will be made available for the screening and investigation of collections.

The announcement comes amid growing attention to restitution issues in Belgium. In 2024, a painting by Jacob Jordaens was returned to the heirs of its original owners, nearly eighty years after it was looted during the Second World War. The case marked the first successful restitution of an artwork identified through the lootedart.belgium.be database, launched by the Belgian Federal Public Service in 2021.