Provenance research at the Kunsthalle zu Kiel/paintings and sculptures

In a long-term project funded by the German Lost Art Foundation and the Bureau for Provenance Research, the Kunsthalle zu Kiel examined 94 of the paintings and sculptures in its collection to establish whether any had been confiscated as a result of Nazi persecution. The research was conducted by Dr. Kai Hohenfeld and the project was led by Dr. Annette Weisner.

A painting by the Russian artist Vasilij Dmitrievič Polenov (1844–1927) was identified as a cultural good displaced as a result of war (“looted property”) and was returned to the legal owner, Taganrog State Museum of Literature, Architecture and History, on September 26, 2017.

If, also after the completion of the project, works are still suspected of having changed hands unlawfully during the National Socialist era, these are documented in the Lost Art Database. These are mainly purchases from the period 1933 to 1945 and acquisitions from the collection of the Schweinfurt industrialist Georg Schäfer. All research findings are published on the Kunsthalle zu Kiel website.

The project’s initial questions:

•bullet Which paintings and sculptures in the collection have an unclarified or incomplete provenance for the period 1933 to 1945? Are these Nazi-confiscated cultural goods?

•bullet Did acquisitions come from people or bodies involved in Nazi art looting? Were the works owned by people persecuted under the Nazi regime, particularly collectors of Jewish origin?

•bullet What is the origin of paintings by Russian and Polish artists which were acquired from the collection of Georg Schäfer in Schweinfurt from 1986 onward? Are any of these works objects that were confiscated as a result of Nazi persecution or cultural goods displaced as a result of war?

•bullet What biographical or historical information can be obtained about individuals and institutions that shaped the collection of the Kunsthalle zu Kiel?

•bullet Were there restitutions in the early post-war era that have been forgotten? From whom and in what way were the masterpieces confiscated, and how did the return process take place? Were restitutions made in full?

The project objectives:

•bullet The primary goal is the identification and restitution of any cultural goods confiscated as a result of Nazi persecution that are found in the Kunsthalle zu Kiel collection. Just and fair solutions will be pursued in line with the Washington Principles of 1998 and the Joint Declaration of 1999.

•bullet If cultural goods displaced as a result of war are identified in the course of the research, the Kunsthalle zu Kiel acknowledges its responsibility here too to return the corresponding works to their place of origin.

•bullet All findings and open questions will be published at the end of the project. Details of any restitution cases will be published only in agreement with the lawful owners.

The project in numbers

The 94 objects investigated (85 paintings and nine sculptures) were categorized as follows in accordance with the expanded provenance traffic light system (as of October 2017):

Provenance for the period 1933–1945 can be reconstructed and is not suspicious. It can be proven that the item is not Nazi-confiscated property and further investigation is not required: 28 (30%)

Provenance is not entirely clear for the period 1933–1945. There are gaps in provenance, or it cannot be considered unsuspicious with certainty. The origin needs to be researched further: 49 (52%)

Provenance for the period 1933–1945 is questionable as there are indications that the item was seized in connection with Nazi persecution. There is an urgent need for further research into the origin of the item: 16 (17%)

Provenance is unequivocally suspicious for the period 1933–1945. In addition to searching for living heirs who are entitled to the item, a report must be entered in the Lost Art Database: 1 (1%)

(c) Kunsthalle zu Kiel