Museum of City History Leipzig issues publication on the status quo of its provenance research
In its project Provenienzrecherchen (“Provenance Research”) carried out in the Art and Crafts Collection of the Museum of City History Leipzig and focusing on acquisitions between 1933 and 1945, the museum investigated the biographies of the consignors, the Leipzig art trading networks and relations with the municipal authorities. In addition, items acquired during the period through donations, purchases at auctions, transfers and barter transactions were systematically and proactively scrutinised in order to identify cultural objects seized as a result of Nazi persecution. The latter was clearly determined in the case of seven items. All cases of questionable provenance can be viewed publicly in the museum collection database and in the Lost Art Database.
The publication Vergessene Rück(an)sichten (“Forgotten retrospectives”) presents the history of the museum and an overview of exhibitions held between 1933 and 1940. It also includes a presentation of certain acquisitions and selected aspects of research. Other articles deal with private individuals’ passion for collecting, previous exhibitions as a valuable source of provenance research and the clarification of a questionable provenance in the museum library. By way of an example, the publication also includes an account of the 2006 restitution of the Karl Rudolf Bromme collection, which includes badges, books, games and objects of everyday culture. Systematic provenance research and the investigation of acquisitions that may potentially be linked to cultural property expropriated as a result of Nazi persecution will be continued in another research project starting in December 2022, which will again be funded by the German Lost Art Foundation.
Vergessene Rück(an)sichten. Provenienzforschung am Stadtgeschichtlichen Museum Leipzig, edited by Lina Frubrich and Anselm Hartinger on behalf of the Museum of City History Leipzig, is available from the Museum of City History Leipzig.