Numerous paintings looted and pillaged by the Nazis during the Second World War were declared as missing at the Property and Private Interests Agency. Most belonged to Jews. After the war, a commission to recover art works was set up and some were brought back. France, like some other countries, obtained some of the stolen pieces recuperated thanks to country to country agreements. 85,000 claims have been made, 61,233 have been found, mostly in Germany and Austria. 45,000 have been given back, but some paintings remained unclaimed and some owners could not find their property. Among non-reclaimed paintings, 2000 were selected for French museums, where they were kept. 12,000 have been sold at auction. In 1952, this restitution phase came to an end and the FRG took over this affair in order to compensate victims. This matter was totally forgotten. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the looted Art affair re-appeared. What is the Foreign Affairs Ministery's policy on this subject? Why was this affair forgotten? What are the communication strategies of the actors? From action to oblivion (1945-1955), from remembrance to slow mediatisation (1955-1969), from silence (1969-1996) to the communication era (1997-2008), this thesis, which intersects public archives, arts and mainstream press, and interviews, ends with the setting up of a delayed franco-French justice, thanks to the Mattéoli commission (1997), together with the new wave of restitutions and compensation, following the Washington principles (1998).
