Generous Loan: Carl Blechen’s “Scolastica” Painting from the Rudolf Mosse Collection

The goal of this exhibition project was to present the particular situation and background of a now restituted painting from the museum’s collection. The museum had negotiated an agreement with the heirs of the Mosse family to permit the painting to remain on display for another 18 months as a loan (at least for the time being). The exhibition not only presented the provenance research findings on the painting “Scolastica” by Carl Blechen, but also the fate of the family of the former Jewish owner Rudolf Mosse who had been forced to auction off his entire art collection and was denied any compensation for it. The project addressed issues related to drafting a scientific dossier for exhibition purposes and developing a corresponding form of presentation. In this way the museum complied with the political demand for maximum transparency in addressing claims of restitution and succeeded at presenting provenance research to the public which usually takes place behind the scenes.