A recent op-ed in the Art Newspaper has some major figures in the British art world disagreeing over whether artwork stolen by Nazis during World War II should continue to be restituted.

Norman Rosenthal, a former secretary of the Royal Academy and the son of Jewish refugees from Nazi Europe who lost many relatives in the Holocaust, called for an end to restitution in a column in the paper last month, writing, "I have, perhaps, an idiosyncratic, non-politically-correct view that many people will disagree with, but I believe history is history and that you can’t turn the clock back, or make things good again through art."

"I believe... that grandchildren or distant relations of people who had works of art or property taken away by the Nazis do not now have an inalienable right to ownership, at the beginning of the 21st century," he added. "If valuable objects have ended up in the public sphere, even on account of the terrible facts of history, then that is the way it is."

Others in the British art world disagree. The Department of Culture, Media, and Sport, which created an independent spoliation advisory panel in 2000, said in a statement: "We believe that, where a work of art can be proved to have been looted in the Nazi era, the wishes of the heirs of the original owners should be respected and, where possible, the work returned or appropriate amends made. This is a simple, right and fair way of righting historic wrongs, and we have no plans to resile on our commitment."

Anne Webber, co-chair of the Commission for Looted Art in Europe, called Rosenthal "out of touch" and accused him of seeking "to reach a new understanding of what is right and wrong."

Tate Director Nicholas Serota had a more measured reaction, saying, "I think it would be premature to impose a moratorium now but at some point in the future this may be appropriate."