Art Provenance Research

This guide is a comprehensive and authoritative resource for tracing the ownership history of works of art. Focused on cultural property looted by the Nazis and others during WWII, it is divided into three parts: Basic Provenance Research and Principles, Holocaust-Era Provenance Research, and Appendixes, which include bibliographies of collections, dealer archives, and "red flag names" compiled by the Office of Strategic Services. Includes an index and reproductions of artworks and relevant documents.

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This book goes beyond the narrow definition of the term provenance, which addresses only the bare facts of ownership and transfer, to explore ideas about the origins and itineraries of objects, consider the historical uses of provenance research, and draw attention to the transformative power of ownership.

Covering key aspects of provenance research for the international art market, this accessible publication, co-published with the International Foundation for Art Research (IFAR), explores a range of themes including challenges and best practice to considerations specific to Nazi looted art and the trade in illicit antiquities.

The latest volume in the series Our Values, published by the Leopold Hoesch Museum, focuses on a hitherto untold chapter in the collection's history between 1933 and 1955: that of looted art. The focus lies on the close ties to the Wallraf Richartz Museum in Cologne during this period, providing a fascinating insight into the provenance research conducted by both museums, as well as into their complex relationship during the National Socialist and post war eras.