The bill was firmly backed by the US Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD). Its executive director Christine Anagnos said: “The exchange of works of art between countries supports cultural understanding and enables Americans to experience works that they otherwise might never have a chance to see in person.”

[...] opponents say it would allow Russia to exhibit art and cultural property that was forcibly seized during the Bolshevik Revolution and block the heirs of the original owners from filing claims in US courts. The bill exempts objects that were looted from 1933 to 1945 by the Nazi regime or its allies, and for any works seized after 1900 by a foreign government against “members of a targeted group”. Critics say the later definition is too loose, and it could be argued the Bolsheviks’ appropriation of art and cultural heritage as government property was not aimed at a specific group.