Franco-Era art returned in Spain « Euro Weekly News Spain begins returning Franco-Era looted art to rightful owners
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Spain begins returning Franco-Era looted art to rightful owners
The first item, a painting taken 84 years ago, has now been handed back, marking the start of efforts to restore over 5,000 plundered pieces to their rightful owners.
First Franco-Era artwork returned: A step towards justice
Earlier this week, a significant moment unfolded at the National Library of Spain, where officials returned a portrait of Francisco Giner de los Ríos, a prominent Spanish philosopher, as a young boy.
- The painting was seized in 1940 when Franco’s regime banned the progressive Free Institution of Education, co-founded by Giner de los Ríos.
- For decades, the artwork remained in the National Library’s possession.
During the ceremony, culture minister Ernest Urtasun described the act as more than a legal obligation: “It is an act of reparation that holds deep meaning. It honours the memory of Franco’s victims and shows our commitment to justice.”
José García-Velasco García, president of the Francisco Giner de los Ríos Foundation, celebrated the moment, saying: “This return proves that dreams can come true and that some battles can be won.”
Franco-Era looted Art: What’s being returned?
The painting’s return is just the beginning. In June 2023, Spain’s culture ministry released an online inventory of 5,126 items confiscated during the Franco regime, including:
- Paintings and sculptures
- Jewellery and furniture
- Religious ornaments
Most of these pieces were initially collected for safekeeping by the Republican government at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. However, following Franco’s victory in 1939, the regime redistributed the works to museums, institutions, and private collections.
Progress under Spain’s democratic memory law
The initiative aligns with Spain’s 2022 Democratic Memory Law, which aims to bring justice to Franco-era victims through acts of restitution and remembrance.
- Applications for the return of items are being assessed case by case.
- The online catalogue provides families with an opportunity to identify and claim lost property almost a century later.
Speaking in June, Urtasun highlighted the project’s broader purpose: “We’re offering a space to learn about our history while opening the door for these pieces to be returned to their rightful owners.”
While the return of the painting marks a powerful moment of reparation, it also signals the start of a long process. For many families and institutions, this initiative offers hope of recovering cherished items that were lost to a dark chapter of Spain’s history.
With over 5,000 works yet to be returned, Spain’s journey towards justice and restitution is well underway.