Pursuit of Provenance – New York New York

In Graham Bowley’s recently published New York Times article titled, “Nations Called Lax in Returning Art Looted From Jews“, it is revealed that certain countries are responsible for not researching or identifying items that may have been looted from Jews during World War II. Among the many countries doing so, Italy has been noticed to not show any effort at all in trying to do provenance research. Museums in Italy have chosen to not follow the practice of tracking the ownership of their items which results in them not having much accurate information on the object at all.

I find that the practice of not doing research on a piece in a museum is extremely irresponsible and ignorant. Especially so because the museum workers are aware of their ignorance and chose to refrain from research regardless. Many belongings were confiscated from Jews during the Holocaust and the moral and ethically correct thing to do would be to give proper credit on information regarding these items. The government in Italy has chosen to not take any action towards the restitution of cultural and religious properties from the 1930s and 1940s.

Much of the art stolen from Jews during the Holocaust is still missing to this day. Other countries that are doing well in terms of trying to identify the origins of certain art pieces include Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and the Netherlands.Italy, Poland, Argentina, Spain and Russia show lackluster efforts in helping the Jewish community gain a sense of closure on this matter.

In 2011, United States officials seized a 16th-century painting by Girolamo Romano while it was on loan to a Florida museum. They argued that the Milan museum that owned it should have been aware of evidence that it had been stolen from a Jewish family.

Here, the painting is shown being returned to the grateful grandchildren of the man who originally owned it.

The countries who are not thoroughly researching the history and the ownership of their pieces from this time period are acting ignorantly, irresponsibly, and unethically. Provenance research shouldn’t just be a matter of political concern and museum responsibility, but also as a practice of good ethics. These museums fail to realize that this is the right thing to do, especially because of how important it would be for the families of the owners of the stolen art pieces.

anandpoonai says:

September 11, 2014 at 8:36 am

The article you posted was very insightful and I responded the same way you did. As everyone knows, the Holocaust was by far one of the most horrid events to have taken place, resulting in the desolation of many Jewish people. I completely agree with you when you say that the artifacts and pieces of art must be discovered. I feel like the countries who aren’t putting in the effort of doing research on the different pieces are being overly selfish. They aren’t putting themselves in the same boat as the Jewish people and they clearly don’t understand that this information is extremely valuable and important to many people around the world today. For the countries that are putting an active effort in researching and trying to find these pieces, kudos to them. Great article and insightful blog!

stephenesses says:

September 12, 2014 at 10:55 am

This article was very informative and interesting. I think that the countries that are not trying to give the proper credit are showing ignorance and turning a blind eye to the disaster of the Holocaust. Obviously things were taken away from the Jewish people in the Holocaust that can never be returned, but pieces of art are certainly something that can be returned and countries not putting in the effort to do so are clearly not cognizant enough of the significance of these possessions.

j96lee says:

September 14, 2014 at 11:35 am

I found this article very shocking because I was completely unaware of what happened to these stolen artifacts after the Holocaust. However, I agree with you that these museums should attempt to locate the owners of these stolen possessions. It is absolutely irresponsible and unethical. The article mentioned the idea of creating an organization that would professionally track the owner of a piece of artwork. I think that is a great idea; it is simpler and much more efficient for either the owner or museum to contact one another about a piece of artwork through this organization. It is highly insensitive and selfish that these museums are not trying to return these stolen artwork back to it’s rightful owner.

Bethany Freynk says:

September 20, 2014 at 5:19 pm

I am stunned that 7 decades after the Holocaust nations continue to act ignorantly towards Jews everywhere. In the 1940s, Jews were dehumanized and killed in millions. After such horrid treatment, the least such able museums could do is to return to families the belongings that were taken away from them and their relatives. It is unfortunate that most European nations involved are not trying to aid Jewish families in recovering significant artifacts from their past and it is a relief that certain descendants are having artwork returned to them after almost a century, as shown in the photograph above. In 2014 we have the scientific abilities necessary to date most artifacts to their original owners and it is unjust that Jews are being ignored in this process. Ann did a great job explaining this conflict, as the “pursuit of provenance” is crucial.

holdencoreystein says:

September 22, 2014 at 8:08 am

I think even though this class is primarily focused on the arts in New York, it is important to recognize the importance of art around the world and the history behind it. The Holocaust was an atrocious period for Jewish people but the aftermath should consist of nothing but compassion and cooperation. It is a shame that it did not work out that way. It is paramount that whatever art was taken should be returned immediately back to the original families. One injustice already took place against these people, another one does not have to follow suit.

Layanah Nsouli says:

September 26, 2014 at 10:17 am

This article was very interesting because it gave insight into the modern aftermath of the Holocaust. While much is published about the immediate repercussions of the genocide, I feel that this information is a more rare find. I like that in your response you specifically categorized the infraction that you felt these museums were committing as it is an issue of ethics and immorality.