Here you will find current news from the field of provenance research and on projects funded by the German Lost Art Foundation – whether new publications, exhibitions or restitutions. We also provide details of important events.
The Help Desk offers advice and assistance to victims of the Nazi regime and their descendants on questions relating to Nazi theft of cultural property. Serving as a central and initial low-threshold point of contact in Germany, it is aimed in particular at people whose place of residence is outside Germany and who are unfamiliar with German procedures, especially in connection with cultural federalism. The Help Desk seeks to provide support in taking initial steps as well as providing further contacts and information. We will also be happy to help initiate discussions with museums and other institutions.
German Lost Art Foundation, Branch Office
Dr. Susanne Meyer-Abich Head of Help Desk
The German Lost Art Foundation is hosting a festive event to mark the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the “Washington Principles”, which will be held at 6 p.m. on 7 December 2023 in the Humboldt Hall of Berlin State Library, Haus unter den Linden.
A conference is to be hosted by Stiftung Hamburger Kunstsammlungen, Hamburger Kunsthalle and the German Lost Art Foundation entitled: Was tun mit Eigentum? – Die Chancen liegen in der Verantwortung. Wege des Umgangs mit Sammlungen in Stiftungen und privater Hand (“What to do with property? – The opportunities offered by responsibility. Approaches to handling collections belonging to foundations and in private ownership”). It will take place on 1 September 2023 in the Werner-Otto-Saal at Hamburger Kunsthalle.
Museumsberg Flensburg is showing the latest results of its provenance research in an exhibition entitled Sammeln verpflichtet. 10 Objekte - 10 Geschichten (“Collecting obliges. 10 objects – 10 stories”).
Within the research project „Ermittlung der Provenienz von 28 Handzeichnungen des 16. bis 18. Jahrhunderts unter Verdacht auf NS-verfolgungsbedingten Entzug in der Lippischen Landesbibliothek“ old drawings of unknown origin are examined.
A short project started at the Silesian Museum in 1 June 2023 which is funded by the German Lost Art Foundation and entitled “Provenance research on the painting ‘Aechmea fasciata with books and Century Hall’, c. 1925 by Oskar Moll, Görlitz Silesian Museum, inventory number SMG 2001/1900”.
The next advanced training course in the field of provenance research at the Weiterbildungszentrum der Freien Universität Berlin (FU) will be held from 11 October to 15 December 2023 with the support of the German Lost Art Foundation.
The Museum Natur und Mensch Freiburg has published an album on the Eugen and Antonie Brandeis Oceania Collection for inclusion in the online collection of the city’s municipal museums.