How did the art end up in the museum? The SPK and the Smithsonian are hosting a symposium
News from 11/09/2026
Asian artworks often travel across continents. How can their journeys be reconstructed? From 11 to 13 November 2026, experts from around the world will gather at the James-Simon-Galerie to present their research, share knowledge and forge new connections.
A single artefact can tell a story spanning 2,000 years. The sources for this story are often scattered across the globe. Important knowledge about the artworks can also be found in their countries of origin. Tracing their journeys therefore requires collaboration across national and disciplinary boundaries.
This is the focus of the international symposium ‘Provenance and Asian Art: Sharing Stories, Building Connections’. Researchers and specialists from museums and archives will present the latest research on the provenance of Asian artworks. Together, they will discuss how sources and findings can be shared and how the stories behind the objects can be communicated to a wider audience.
Marion Ackermann, President of the SPK, explains: “This long-standing partnership between the SPK and the Smithsonian Institution has made enormous strides in provenance research on Asian art worldwide – such intensive networking amongst researchers would have been unthinkable without this initiative. But that is precisely what provenance research needs – and not just for Asian art: networking and collaborative thinking, and the exchange of knowledge and sources.”
The Central Archive and the Museum of Asian Art of the Berlin State Museums – Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation are organising the symposium in collaboration with the Freer Research Centre at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. The Macaulay Family Foundation is supporting the event.
Since 2020, the SPK and the Smithsonian have been building an international network for provenance research on Asian art. This includes the online series ‘Hidden Networks: The Trade of Asian Art’ and ‘Unpacking Provenance: Retracing the Histories of Asian Art’. A joint symposium in Washington, D.C., in 2023 brought together more than 150 participants from 40 institutions and 17 countries. The partners are currently exploring the creation of a multilingual digital platform designed to facilitate access to scattered archival material.
The symposium will take place from 11 to 13 November 2026 at the James-Simon-Galerie, Bodestraße 1, 10178 Berlin. The event will be held in English. Attendance is free of charge, but prior registration is required.