Arnold Blome, Heinrich Glosemeyer and Hugo Oelze—three Bremen merchants and their role in the art market from 1933 to 1972. Provenance research at the Kunsthalle Bremen

During the National Socialist era and well into the post-war era, the Kunsthalle Bremen acquired numerous masterpieces from Arnold Blome (18941972), Heinrich Glosemeyer (18961969) and Dr. Hugo Oelze (18921967). Some of these works were particularly valuable. These acquisitions were mostly purchases, but many were also generous donations and bequests, particularly after the war.

The aim of the research project was to establish a complete chain of ownership without gaps for the period after 1933 for each of the masterpieces investigated. This was to establish whether any of the masterpieces had been unlawfully seized during the National Socialist era or had to be sold under political pressure.

The biographies and collecting profiles of these three men reflect the history of the museum during the World War Two and the post-war era. They also provide an interesting insight into the art market that existed during these years, and its regional and transnational links and connections.

Arnold Blome (18941972)

The art dealer, collector and artist Arnold Blome sold a total of six paintings, one sculpture and 541 works on paper (mostly hand drawings from the 19th century) to the Kunsthalle Bremen. After the death of his wife Helene in 1946, he also gave 32 paintings and 82 hand drawings to the museum as the Bequest of Helene and Arnold Blome, Bremen.

Arnold Blome at the age of approx. 65 in his apartment in Bremens Ostertor neighborhood Source: Kunsthalle Bremen

Initial research findings

With regard to the Blome paintings at the Kunsthalle Bremen, the overall conclusion is, based on the knowledge currently available, that there is no concrete suspicion of any objects having been confiscated from their owners as a result of Nazi persecution.

However, among the 45 hand drawings and watercolors purchased on behalf of the Kunsthalle Bremen by Blome between 1933 and 1940 at various auctionssuch as in 1938 at Weinmüller in Munich (Michael Berolzheimer collection and Siegfried Lämmle collection) and in 1933 at Perl in Berlin (Curt Glaser collection)there are seven works on paper which evidently come from collections owned by Jewish citizens who were persecuted during the Nazi era. These are primarily Italian and French drawings from the 17th to the 19th century.

In April 2013, the drawing Rear view of a woman in wrinkled robes by Giacomo Cavedone (15771660) was restituted to the heirs of the original owner, Dr. Michael Berolzheimer. The remaining six drawings from the Berolzheimer, Siegfried Lämmle and Curt Glaser collections were relocated to Schloss Karnzow in Brandenburg for storage during World War Two and, ever since then, have been missing from the Kunsthalle as cultural goods lost during wartime. Their search reports in the Lost Art Database have been updated to include details of their provenance from Jewish collections.

Heinrich Glosemeyer (18961968)

The museum acquired 10 valuable paintings from Heinrich Glosemeyer, a confectionery wholesale representative in Bremen. Five of these were a gift.

Written correspondence dated April 13, 1953, from Heinrich Glosemeyer to the Kunsthalle Bremen Source: Kunsthalle Bremen

Hugo Oelze (18921967)

The lawyer Hugo Oelze came from a well-respected Bremen merchant family. From the 1920s onward, he lived in Amsterdam where he dealt in art and built up a private collection, keeping in close contact with his home town of Bremen. Besides the sale of a painting and the gift of a plaque, he also bequeathed five important paintings to the museum upon his death.

Hugo Oelze in his apartment in Amsterdam, 1950s Source: Kunsthalle Bremen

Information on the paintings and sculptures examined is available in the Kunsthalle Bremens online catalog.

The principles, methods and latest findings of provenance research are communicated to a wider public audience through regular educational events such as guided tours, Kunstpause art breaks (short explanations of artworks) and talks. Special training and development in this working field for trainees, volunteers and restorers is a priority for the Kunsthalle Bremen.

The results of the context research on the three Bremen collectors and the extensive individual analyses of the provenance of the masterpieces were presented in an exhibition at the Kunsthalle Bremen in fall 2014. A catalog accompanied the exhibition.

(c) Dr. Brigitte Reuter