Provenances of the 20th century gallery researched: Presentation of the project results
Press release from 07/07/2014
The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and the State of Berlin today presented the results of their joint provenance research project on the holdings of the former Gallery of the 20th Century. Over the past three years, two researchers have systematically analysed around 450 works of art created up to 1945 to determine whether they were confiscated during the Nazi era as a result of persecution. This can be ruled out for the majority of the works. The project is one of the most comprehensive systematic provenance research projects on post-war acquisitions in Germany to date. The State of Berlin and the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation jointly financed it from their own funds.
Hermann Parzinger, President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, says: "Since the 1990s, it has been the declared aim of the SPK to examine its holdings for cultural property seized as a result of Nazi persecution. We do not want to keep any objects in our collections that did not get there legally. I am grateful to the State of Berlin for the good co-operation and responsible handling of the 20th century gallery's holdings. Of course, I am also pleased that most of these important works do not have problematic provenances and will therefore remain visible to the public in the Nationalgalerie and the Kupferstichkabinett in the future."
Tim Renner, State Secretary for Cultural Affairs of the State of Berlin, says: "The Galerie des 20. Jahrhunderts project marks an important stage in Berlin's provenance research. The area of classical modernism in state ownership has thus been fully scrutinised. The political and academic examination of the consequences of the Nazi era for culture remains a permanent task for all Berlin cultural institutions. The state will continue to support this process politically and financially in the future. I would like to thank the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation for its excellent cooperation and the scholars entrusted with this task for their meticulous and competent research work."
The works analysed are the property of the State of Berlin and have been on permanent loan to the Nationalgalerie and the Kupferstichkabinett of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin since 1968. They include paintings, works on paper and sculptures. They include high-calibre works of modern art, for example by Hans Arp, Ernst Barlach, Max Beckmann, Lovis Corinth, Otto Dix, Lyonel Feininger, Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Oskar Kokoschka, Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, Georg Kolbe, August Macke, Paula Modersohn-Becker, Piet Mondrian, Henry Moore, Otto Mueller, Gabriele Münter, Edvard Munch, Ernst Wilhelm Nay, Emil Nolde, Max Pechstein, Pablo Picasso, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and Max Slevogt.
For approx. 85 per cent of the works, unobjectionable provenances could be established. There are indications that only 3 works may have been lost as a result of Nazi persecution. More in-depth research and clarification of legal issues are still required for these works.
Despite extensive research, the provenance of 61 works could not be fully clarified. A loss due to Nazi persecution can therefore not be completely ruled out. The State of Berlin has so far entered 9 of these works into the Lostart database, including works by Georg Grosz, Wilhelm Lehmbruck and Christian Rohlfs. These discovery reports contain an express request to the public to report any further findings and entitlements. Further works with provenance gaps are to be successively added to the database. The State of Berlin will also contact persons who may be heirs of the former owners.
The research results from the project will be published in book form and online by the end of 2015. This publication will also present the historical development of the 20th century gallery for the first time and is a significant contribution to provenance research in Germany.