Wartime losses represented as large-format black-and-white reproductions as part of the exhibition “Das verschwundene Museum. Die Berliner Gemälde- und Skulpturensammlungen 70 Jahre nach Kriegsende” (“The vanished museum. The Berlin painting and sculpture collections 70 years after the end of the war”) at the Bode Museum Berlin
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

Materials

We provide information about exhibitions on cultural property displaced as a result of war, details of publications produced by the former Koordinierungsstelle (Coordination Office) and explanatory videos.

Exhibitions on the Subject of Wartime Losses

Since the end of the Second World War, museums have repeatedly put on exhibitions to address the issue of cultural goods displaced as a result of war. In some cases, striking methods have been used to highlight the problem: “shadow galleries” have been created with black-and-white reproductions being deployed as substitutes for works of art that are no longer present, for example. Missing items are often symbolically represented by empty picture frames, likewise conveying insight into contemporary history, or objects might demonstrate the consequences of the Second World War in that they bear burn marks. By the same token, stories of successful restitutions are revealing in terms of the history of individual institutions while at the same time providing insight into broader cultural and political processes.

Since 2018, the German Lost Art Foundation has compiled online documentation of exhibition projects that come to its attention. We are happy to receive reports of exhibitions and corrections!

SMB-ZA, V/Fotoslg. 2.4./3499
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Maria Obenaus
Maria Obenaus
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Empty picture frames as a call for the return of paintings from the West Berlin Gemäldegalerie in Berlin-Dahlem which were previously stored at the Central Collecting Point Wiesbaden, 1953-1955

Overview of Exhibitions

Here you will find a list of exhibitions that have come to the attention of the Foundation that relate to the subject of cultural property losses in the various historical contexts.
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Remains of a canvas and frame in the exhibition “In:complete. Zerstört, zerteilt, ergänzt“ (“In:complete. Destroyed, fragmented, complemented”) at the National Museums in Berlin, Kunstbibliothek
Maria Obenaus

Explanatory Films

In order to support the educational work of cultural heritage institutions, the German Lost Art Foundation creates short, animated explanatory films which are available for use free of charge. They answer the questions: “What is provenance research?”, “What are just and fair solutions?” and “What is the Lost Art Database?”, and they can be integrated in multimedia guides, media stations and on websites, for example.

The explanatory films are published under the Creative Commons licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International). The German-language videos are also available with English subtitles.

Publications

For more on the subject of wartime losses, see the publications of the former Koordinierungsstelle (Coordination Office).
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Publications produced by the former Koordinierungsstelle
German Lost Art Foundation

Further Content

An impression of a historical storage site in the exhibition “Bombensicher! Kunstversteck Weesenstein 1945” (“Bomb-proof! Weesenstein art hideout 1945”) at Weesenstein Castle near Dresden
Maria Obenaus
Basics & Overview
Background information on cultural property displaced as a result of war, its documentation and repatriation
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Empty picture frames as a call for the return of paintings from the West Berlin Gemäldegalerie in Berlin-Dahlem which were previously stored at the Central Collecting Point Wiesbaden, 1953-1955
SMB-ZA, V/Fotoslg. 2.4./3499
Returns
The history of the return of wartime losses and the legal situation in this connection
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