Conservators in the “Third Reich”.Historical Conservation Records as Sources for Provenance Research

The role of conservators in the transfer of art and cultural property during the National Socialist period has so far received little scholarly attention. Although they were embedded in museum, governmental, and art-dealing structures – and frequently worked on objects whose provenance is now the subject of intensive research – their activities in support of the goals of the Nazi regime have largely remained marginal in historical analysis. At the same time, Nazi-era provenance research has largely overlooked the utility of technical art-historical examinations and conservation documentation as potential sources.

The project is dedicated to the historical contextualization of selected conservators/ restorers active during the National Socialist period, as well as in the years immediately preceding and following it. It focuses, among others, on Berta Hofer-Fritsch, Otto Klein, Eduard Kneisel, Wilhelm Uhlworm, and Kurt Wehlte. The study examines their institutional affiliations, professional networks, and fields of activity, as well as their involvement in state and party-sponsored conservation efforts, the confiscations, and transfers of art collections.

Emphasis is placed on the identification and analysis of documentation produced by conservators/ restorers. Condition reports, technical examination records, correspondence, photographs, and related materials often constitute precise sources, containing information on former ownership, locations, interventions, and attributions of value. The systematic study of these documents opens up additional perspectives for reconstructing object biographies – especially in cases where provenance is being investigated within the framework of nationwide funding programs.

By bringing together the history of conservation, technical art history, and provenance research, the project contributes to a greater and more nuanced understanding of the breadth of professional actors, practices, and forms of knowledge involved in the transfer of art and cultural property during the National Socialist period. Conservation documentation is understood not merely as technical material, but as a historical source of central importance for reconstructing object histories.

The primary aim of this interdisciplinary basic research is to compile a directory of conservators (specialising in painting) who were active during the Nazi era, including details of their clients, networks, their involvement in the transfer of art and cultural property, and the conservation work they carried out. Art-technological and restoration-specific characteristics will be identified using selected case studies, and their recording and documentation will be made available for provenance research through a publication. The project will also include a workshop and a conference that foster interdisciplinary professional exchange and increase public visibility.

© Technische Universität Berlin. Institut für Kunstwissenschaft und Historische Urbanistik