"Art through credit" - On the article "Berliner Blamage" in DER SPIEGEL, issue 45/2017
Press release from 11/07/2017
The book "Kunst durch Kredit" (De Gruyter, 2017) by Lynn Rother examines the purchase of around 4,400 works of art owned by Dresdner Bank by the State of Prussia for the Berlin museums in 1935 from the perspective of art and banking history. The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK) points out the following in this context:
The SPK, whose collections still contain numerous works from the 1935 acquisition, drew Ms Rother's attention to the purchase of the work complex as a possible dissertation topic. She reached an agreement with Mrs Rother in January 2010 and supported the work for years. It was clear that the extensive and complex historical acquisition could possibly include works that had been confiscated as a result of persecution. On the basis of the work that has now been published, which has provided the necessary contextual research, the SPK can now carry out further systematic investigations into the provenance of the individual works.
The SPK and the Commission for Looted Art, which represents the heirs of Annie Caspari, have been conducting their own research into the provenance of the painting "Pariser Platz in Berlin / Brandenburger Tor" for years. The parties involved are of the opinion that the complex historical circumstances require further investigation. The SPK and the representatives of the heirs have agreed to maintain confidentiality about the research work and the related discussions.
The SPK has been extensively researching the provenance, i.e. the origin, of the objects in its collections for years. The responsible search for Nazi-looted property has been an issue for the SPK since the early 1990s. The Foundation has already been able to agree on fair and just solutions in line with the Washington Principles in over 50 restitution requests. In addition to researching individual cases in response to enquiries, the SPK has identified certain groups of works that may contain Nazi-looted property. It is researching these in projects such as the Gallery of the 20th Century, the collection of drawings at the Kupferstichkabinett and the works in the Museum Berggruen. More under: