Foundation provides online access to research findings relating to Nazi-confiscated property and lays the foundation for a future research database
From today, the German Lost Art Foundation is providing access via an online portal to the findings of provenance research projects supported with public funds since 2008. The projects have investigated the provenance of Nazi-confiscated property in German institutions—primarily museums, libraries and archives. These were made accessible and searchable especially for the provenance research work.
“With the online portal, the Foundation has created an important basis for the planned extensive and interconnected research database,” said Minister of State Monika Grütters, chair of the Foundation Board. “In doing so, the Foundation is not only enhancing transparency, but also honoring the claim to make available the findings from almost 10 years of public project funding in the interests of victims of Nazi-looted art and their heirs. This will also significantly reinforce the research into cultural assets confiscated as a result of Nazi persecution.”
Access to the online portal is available now via the German Lost Art Foundation website. To mark the launch of the portal, 95 final reports can be accessed. The bodies responsible for the projects have consented to the publication of these reports. A tabular display makes it easier to search through the projects and enables the content of several reports to be linked. There is also a data sheet containing basic information for each project completed to date (currently 145).
The content of the portal is continually expanded and updated. For data protection reasons, access to the portal is restricted to users with a legitimate interest. These persons include victims of Nazi-looted art, their descendants, their representatives, provenance researchers and other academics. In other cases, decisions will be made on an individual basis.
Learn more about the “Modul Forschungsergebnisse” (Research Results Module) in the Foundation’s online portal