The rightful owners of thousands of paintings and other artworks by world-renown artists such as Gaugin, Ingres, Manet and Matisse that may have been stolen by Nazis between 1933 and 1945 can start the process of identifying and claiming their possessions, the New York Times reports.

Several major art museums, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, are revealing the findings of research that traced ownership histories of their holdings, looking for any gaps that may indicate they were stolen.

Met Director Phillippe de Montebello told the Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States that the museum decided to release a broad list of paintings, even if it is later found many items had not been stolen, the newspaper reports.

Members of the Association of Art Museum Directors had promised to scour their respective collections for prior ownership rights after several high-profile 1998 reports concluded that American museums may be holding Nazi-stolen art.

The Times reports not all the institutions have made significant efforts. For instance, MoMA has identified only 15 works so far, but is looking into about 500 pieces. The museum has promised to include all of the works once the study is completed.

Several British museums have identified 350 pieces with ownership gaps between 1933 and 1945, and the German government created a Web site that lists more than 2,200 works.

The World Jewish Congress, an organization that works to return bank, insurance and art pieces to Holocaust victims, offered its approval of the various efforts, but stated more can be done, the Associated Press reports.

"Now, I think it's a matter of public obligation of the museums to determine if the art belongs to someone or to demonstrate unequivocally that the museum has clear title," said Elan Steinberg, the group's executive director.

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