Fritz Ascher Society for Persecuted, Ostracized and Banned Art, Inc.

08/18/2026

Recommended summer reading from our archives: The Island of Extraordinary Captives by Simon Parkin: https://fritzaschersociety.org/exhibition-event/simon-parkin/.
In May 1940, faced with a country gripped by paranoia, Britain’s Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered the internment of all German and Austrian citizens living in the country. Most were refugees who had come to the country to escape N**i oppression. They were now imprisoned by the country in which they had staked their trust. More than 1,200 men were taken to Hutchinson camp, on the Isle of Man, which a group of world-renowned artists, musicians and academics turned into history’s most extraordinary prison camp. This is a story of a battle between fear and compassion at a time of national crisis that reveals how Britain’s treatment of refugees during the Second World War led to one of the nation’s most shameful missteps, and how hope and creativity can flourish in even the most challenging circumstances.

08/17/2026

Mark your calendar! Raise a glass with us in NYC on November 23, 5:30–7:30pm, as we celebrate incredible art, unforgettable stories, and the ongoing mission of The Fritz Ascher Society for Persecuted, Ostracized and Banned Art. Don’t miss this inspiring night!

08/14/2026

Watch the recording of Lost and Sometimes Found: Suzanne Loebl's Encounter with N**i-Plundered Art and Its Sometime Restitution: https://fritzaschersociety.org/exhibition-event/suzanne-loebl/.
"Having to be grateful is hard to cope with, especially if it is for something as fundamental as saving one's own life, so I tried to minimize the danger I and the people who sheltered me faced. In some ways this was easy, because to a certain extent life was drearily mundane. It was precisely the juxaposition of the daily dullness with the horror of the Holocaust that was characteristic of the crazy time I was living in." (Suzanne Loebl)
**iLootedArt

08/12/2026

How is Holocaust survivor Suzanne Loebl connected to the legendary Frankfurt art dealer Ludwig Schames (here portrayed by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner in a 1918 print)? Find out today 12:00pm ET online - register here: https://fritzaschersociety.org/exhibition-event/suzanne-loebl/.
In this zoom program Loebl will engage in a dialogue with Ori Z Soltes, Co-Founder and Chair of the Holocaust Art Restitution Project. The discussion will offer a dynamic interweave of personal anecdote and ideas of universal consequence, mediated by unique visual images.

**iLootedArt

08/11/2026

Tomorrow, 8/12 online: Lost and Sometimes Found: Suzanne Loebl's Encounter with N**i-Plundered Art and Its Sometime Restitution, Suzanne Loebl in Conversation with Ori Z Soltes - register here: https://fritzaschersociety.org/exhibition-event/suzanne-loebl/.
Born in Germany, Suzanne Loebl and her family were intuitive enough to leave for Belgium in 1938, and lucky enough to be hidden there after the N**is overran the country. She survived to carve out a diverse career as a writer, including books that focus on the visual arts and museums. Her most recent volume, Plunder and Survival, draws from her passion for art and her fascination with the story of both the N**i obsession and theft of cultural property and the winding trajectory of attempts to restore plundered artworks to the families or institutions from which they were stolen. In this Zoom program Loebl will engage in a dialogue with Ori Z Soltes, Co-Founder and Chair of the Holocaust Art Restitution Project. The discussion will offer a dynamic interweave of personal anecdote and ideas of universal consequence, mediated by unique visual images.

**iLootedArt

08/10/2026

A wintery chill in the heat: The snow-covered Bamberger family house in Hannover, Germany. The Eilenriede, a large forest, was on the opposite side of the street. Courtesy Suzanne Loebl. The family fled to Belgium in 1938 and survived in hiding when the N**is overrun the country.
Join us on August 12 online for Lost and Sometimes Found: Suzanne Loebl's Encounter with N**i-Plundered Art and Its Sometime Restitution, Suzanne Loebl in Conversation with Ori Z Soltes - register here: https://fritzaschersociety.org/exhibition-event/suzanne-loebl/.

**iLootedArt

08/07/2026

Like Suzanne Loebl, the artists Rudi Lesser and Felix Nussbaum were in exile in Belgium, here pictured in 1936. Copyright Rudi Lesser estate. Rudi Lesser left for Denmark soon after and survived while Felix Nussbaum was arrested and murdered at Auschwitz.
Register here for August 12 online event: https://fritzaschersociety.org/exhibition-event/suzanne-loebl/.
In this Zoom program Suzanne Loebl will engage in a dialogue with Ori Z Soltes, Co-Founder and Chair of the Holocaust Art Restitution Project. The discussion will offer a dynamic interweave of personal anecdote and ideas of universal consequence, mediated by unique visual images.

**iLootedArt

The Fritz Ascher Society for Persecuted, Ostracized and Banned Art, Inc. aims to re-discover such forgotten artists, and introduce their unique artistic voices to a larger public.

08/05/2026

Is there hope? Picasso bust will finally be returned to the heir of the Jewish dealer Alfred Flechtheim. After perfect media storm, the state of Bavaria changes the way restitution claims are being handled: https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/07/15/bavaria-approves-creation-of-nazi-loot-panel-and-independent-entity-provenance-research
**iLootedArt

The culture minister also announced the return of a Picasso bust to the heir of the Jewish dealer Alfred Flechtheim