Provenance research project launched into nearly 70 objects in Hesse

Since 1 February 2025, the Museumsverband Hessen (MVH), together with the municipal museums of Bad Wildungen and Eschwege, has been examining nearly 70 objects for evidence of seizure as a result of Nazi persecution in connection with a new provenance research project. The aim is to investigate suspected cases of Nazi-looted cultural property identified during a first check and follow up on research that has already begun. The six-month project is being funded by the German Lost Art Foundation.

In 2022, the MVH carried out a first check at the two municipal museums to identify potentially unlawfully acquired cultural property. The results indicated that further research was needed at the museums in both Bad Wildungen and Eschwege. A total of 68 objects are under investigation, including paintings, Judaica and books.

It makes sense for the two museums to engage in this project on a collaborative basis due to the similarity of the items and their geographical proximity.

By the end of the project, provenance researcher Julia Heinzerling will seek to have clarified the provenance of the objects and determine whether they originated from Jewish ownership. Among the items being examined are three paintings acquired for Bad Wildungen through the art market during the Nazi era, while investigations in Eschwege are focused on the previous ownership of a lithograph. Other key objects include Judaica and books that may have come from synagogues or private Jewish households.

To the predecessor project First check on Nazi-looted property at four Hessian museums in Bad Wildungen, Eschwege, Fulda and Reinheim [Erstcheck zu NS-Raubgut in vier hessischen Museen in Bad Wildungen, Eschwege, Fulda und Reinheim]

To the current project Individual case research into suspected Nazi-looted property at the municipal museums of Bad Wildungen and Eschwege [Einzelfallrecherchen zu Verdachtsfällen von NS-Raubgut in den Stadtmuseen Bad Wildungen und Eschwege]