Researcher ORCID Identifier

0009-0006-8846-8602

Graduation Year

2025

Date of Submission

4-2025

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE)

Reader 1

Andrew Sinclair

Reader 2

Jonathan Petropoulos

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2025 Livia Hughson

Abstract

This thesis examines the complex legal landscape surrounding the restitution of Nazi-looted art, particularly where claims cross national borders between Europe and the United States. It focuses on the divergent approaches of European civil and American common law systems, highlighting how these distinct frameworks shape the outcome of restitution efforts. This analysis demonstrates that the rigid, codified structures of European civil law often foreclose claims on technical grounds, while the more flexible doctrines of American law, including the denial of good-faith purchaser protections, offer a more promising avenue for justice. To explore this argument, this thesis analyzes the two foremost US Supreme Court Cases on Nazi-looted art, Republic of Austria v. Altmann and Cassirer v. Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection Foundation. Through close examination of these cases, it argues that the American legal approach more adequately addresses the moral and historical dimensions of Holocaust-era expropriation, ultimately providing a more meaningful framework for achieving redress for victims and their heirs.

Download

This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.

Share

COinS