INTRODUCTION

This web page is part of the ongoing research undertaken by the NGV on the chain of ownership (provenance) of paintings in the European collection, from the moment the artist first disposed of the work to its acquisition by the NGV. This work is a critical activity of the gallery as the provenance of a work of art is recognised as an important element of social and cultural history.

For this reason, the NGV has for many decades published known provenance details of works in the scholarly catalogues of its collection. These details are published as an aid to researchers and partly in the hope that those consulting these texts may provide information to fill inevitable gaps, as has happened on many occasions.

In recent years, there has been worldwide interest by governments, art galleries, museums, scholars, historians and the public to clarify the provenance of works of art during the period of systematic looting and confiscation undertaken by the Nazi regime from 1933-45. To this end, the NGV is the first Australian gallery to draw particular public attention to a number of works which, for many possible reasons, have gaps in the provenance during the critical years of 1933-45.


OBJECTIVES

It is vital to note that a gap in provenance does not imply that paintings were indeed subject to improper or illegal confiscation.

There are many reasons why gaps appear in the recording of provenance. Most often records of transactions simply do not exist, for instance where a particular dealer has ceased to operate and their records have not been retained. Many people who sell or acquire works of art demand anonymity, thus creating a break in the provenance which is unlikely to be recovered. Furthermore, resolving provenance gaps during the Second World War is often problematic as many records were destroyed. Deliberate destruction of collection records was a common occurrence during the Second World War as families attempted to hide their priceless possessions. Thus, for many reasons complete provenance research during this era is often difficult and sometimes impossible.

It is not always the case that an object sold either by an owner who has been a victim of confiscation, or a dealer known to have been involved in the disposal of improperly obtained works, implies that the particular piece was looted. The art market was very active during the war years, even in cities under German occupation, particularly Paris. There are many instances of artists and owners legitimately selling objects through dealers who were known to collaborate with the German authorities.