Skirball Cultural Center

Immerse yourself in the journey of one family—and one painting—from 1920s Czechoslovakia to contemporary Los Angeles. RECLAIMED: A Family Painting tells the story of three generations of women who spent over eighty years trying to recover what the Nazis had stolen from their Jewish family during the Holocaust.  

Featuring imaginative evocations of the family’s home, this spotlight exhibition is grounded in the provenance of a beloved Baroque painting by artist Johann Carl Loth. Take a seat at a recreated dining room table, above which the painting was once displayed, and become immersed in the Bloch family's pre-war art collection and historic furniture. Among the artifacts on view are family photographs, letters, clothing, and suitcases that tell this dramatic story of loss, survival, and justice.

Placing the Bloch family’s story in a larger context, the exhibition also showcases heirless Jewish ritual objects from the Skirball collection and presents information about the New York State Department of Financial Services Holocaust Claims Processing Office—a government agency that provides institutional assistance to victims and their families seeking to recover assets that were lost, stolen, or “sold” under duress due to Nazi persecution prior to and during World War II.

By shedding light on personal and institutional efforts, this original exhibition will introduce visitors to the important work of heritage reclamation.  

Curatorial Acknowledgments

RECLAIMED: A Family Painting is an original Skirball exhibition organized by Associate Curator and Collections Specialist Alissa Schapiro. The exhibition was first conceptualized by former Associate Curator Danielle Killam, and Sophie Aaron, Sarah Daymude, and Natalie Riddick provided curatorial assistance.

Visit the Skirball's permanent exhibition, Visions and Values: Jewish Life from Antiquity to America, to explore additional Nazi-looted and restituted objects that are part of the Skirball Museum collection. Look for extended object labels with the RECLAIMED: A Family Painting exhibition title.

LA family spent decades reclaiming a Nazi-stolen painting
KCRW "Greater LA" podcast | October 11, 2023

Looted Nazi Painting: How an LA family fought for its return
LAist "The Brief" | October 20, 2023

After an 82-year search spanning 3 generations, a painting looted by Nazis is finally returned
Spectrum News 1 SoCal | October 26, 2023

A Jewish Family’s Story of Loss and Restitution
Hyperallergic | October 29, 2023

The Story of a Family’s Painting Stolen During the Holocaust Culminates in an Exhibit at the Skirball Center
Ventura Blvd magazine | February/March 2024