France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Beninese President Patrice Talon (R) visit the exhibition "The Art of Benin of Yesterday and Today," at the Marina Palace of Cotonou on July 27, 2022. LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP
France's government discussed, on Wednesday, July 30, a bill designed to speed up the restitution of artworks looted during the colonial era to their countries of origin, officials said. If approved, the law would make it easier for the country to return cultural goods in France's national collection "originating from states that, due to illicit appropriation, were deprived of them" between 1815 and 1972, said the Culture Ministry. It will cover works obtained through "theft, looting, transfer or donation obtained through coercion or violence, or from a person who was not entitled to dispose of them," the ministry added.
The bill was presented during a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, a government spokeswoman told reporters. The Sénat is due to discuss it in September.
Streamlining the restitution process
Former colonial powers in Europe have been slowly moving to send back some artworks obtained during their imperial conquests, but France is hindered by its current legislation. The return of every item in the national collection must be voted on individually. Wednesday's draft law is designed to simplify and streamline the process.
