Nazi-Era Provenance of Museum Collections: A Research Guide

The first comprehensive guide written in English on how to research the Nazi-era provenance of museum collections since the publication of the AAM Guide to Provenance Research.

When we look at the artworks on display in museums, there is always a real possibility that some of these objects once belonged to victims of the Nazis--a possibility that has remained unacknowledged for far too long. Countless artworks were seized or forcibly sold by the Nazi regime, with many ending up in museum collections around the world, even in countries that actively fought to defeat Nazi Germany.

Nazi-Era Provenance of Museum Collections equips readers with the knowledge and strategies essential for confronting the shadow of the Nazi past in museum collections. Jacques Schuhmacher provides the vital historical orientation required to understand the Nazis’ complex campaign of systematic dispossession and extermination and highlights the current environment in which museum-based Nazi-era provenance research takes place. This book introduces readers to the research methods and resources that can be used to reveal the moving stories behind the objects. Provenance research not only seeks to recover erased names and experiences and to reinsert them into a historical record but also to ensure that the Nazis’ actions and worldview do not remain unchallenged in the galleries and storerooms of our museums today. It is a crucial resource for scholars, museum professionals, and anyone interested in understanding the ethical and historical implications of Nazi-looted art.

Jacques Schuhmacher is a senior provenance research curator at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, supported by the Polonsky Foundation.