German Lost Art Foundation | photo: Stefan Deutsch

Conference to be hosted by Stiftung Hamburger Kunstsammlungen, Hamburger Kunsthalle and the German Lost Art Foundation

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.

1. August 2023

Contact

Do you have any questions?

Do feel free to get in touch with us directly – whether at the Foundation’s headquarters in Magdeburg or at our branch office in Berlin.
See here for answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ)

German Lost Art Foundation

Humboldtstr. 12
39112 Magdeburg

Germany
Phone:  +49 (0) 391 727 763 0
E-mail:  kontakt@kulturgutverluste.de
Social:

German Lost Art Foundation Berlin Branch Office

Seydelstr. 18
10117 Berlin

Berlin
Phone: +49 (0) 391 727 763 0
E-mail: kontakt@kulturgutverluste.de

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

Seydelstr. 18
10117 Berlin

Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 391 727 763 0
E-mail: helpdesk@kulturgutverluste.de

Private collectors and foundations are increasingly facing up to their responsibilities. They want to find out more about the origins of their cultural and art-historical collection items and have them investigated. Stiftung Hamburger Kunstsammlungen and Hamburger Kunsthalle are now pursuing a provenance research project in this constellation for the first time in collaboration with the German Lost Art Foundation and wish to report on their experience together with other experts, not least so as to encourage other foundations and private individuals to take on this socially relevant task.

Based on projects that have already been implemented in practice, there will be a presentation of the various concrete approaches and challenges involved in this kind of research and in the handling of the outcomes. One presentation on legal aspects will also deal with the fundamental attitude of foundations and private individuals to this topic and recent changes in the legal framework. The aim is to provide a multifaceted introduction to the responsibilities involved, the research required, and the resulting need for action.

While the public talks will identify fundamental aspects of the topic area, the afternoon workshop will offer the opportunity to obtain concrete and practical information on how foundations and private collectors can approach such projects, what funding opportunities are available for this purpose, and how it is possible to present the information gathered through the projects in a transparent manner. Representatives of various institutions will be available to explain clearly how to proceed and implement this type of project. There will also be an explanation and discussion of the role of recent changes in foundation law and the consequences of this in terms of the handling of cultural property. The conference (not including the workshop) will be streamed live on the Hamburger Kunsthalle YouTube channel.

See the programm for details.