Aam Guide to Provenance Research

by Yeide, Nancy; Akinsha, Konstantin; Walsh, Amy

• ISBN13: 9780931201738
• ISBN10: 093120173X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-01-01
• Publisher: American Alliance Of Museums

Summary

The first of its kind, this 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 Appendices, 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. Written by leading provenance researchers, this title is a must for any collecting institution.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. ix
Why is provenance important?	p. 1
Major trends in collecting European art	p. 1
Conducting provenance research	p. 5
How to use this guide	p. 5
Basic Provenance Research and Principles	p. 7
Introduction	p. 9
What information do you need?	p. 9
Assembling the Information You Have	p. 11
The object	p. 11
Institutional files	p. 15
Case study: Portrait of James Hay	p. 17
Library Research	p. 21
The Artist	p. 21
The Collector	p. 24
Dealers	p. 28
Auctions	p. 28
Case study: Holbein, Sir Bryan Tuke	p. 30
How to Record Provenance	p. 33
Sample format for recording provenance	p. 33
Holocaust-Era Provenance Research	p. 37
Introduction	p. 39
Historical Overview	p. 41
Key dates	p. 41
Nazi collecting priorities	p. 41
Case study: De Bles, Landscape with Burning City	p. 44
Special case: The office of the alien property custodian and the "vesting" of cultural property	p. 46
Prioritizing Your Research	p. 49
Mind the gap	p. 49
Red flags	p. 50
Case study: "Red-flag" names	p. 52
U.S. Resources	p. 55
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)	p. 55
Looting	p. 58
Case study: Snyders, Still Life with Fruit and Game	p. 68
Investigations	p. 71
Case study: Two Matisse paintings from the Paul Rosenberg collection	p. 74
Claims	p. 78
Restitution	p. 94
Other U.S. Resources	p. 103
Case study: Degas, Landscape with Smokestacks	p. 105
European Resources	p. 109
Archives, restitution agencies, and published losses	p. 109
Special case: Sales from Soviet museums, 1928-31	p. 134
Case study: Cranach, Adam and Eve	p. 135
Conclusion	p. 141
Contributors	p. 145
Glossary	p. 146
Illustrations	p. 148
Index	p. 150
Appendices to Part 1	p. 159
Selected bibliography on the history of collecting: collectors, collections, grand tours	p. 161
Selected biographical research resources	p. 201
Selected bibliography of dealers and dealers' memoirs	p. 206
Dealer archives and locations	p. 214
Selected resources for auction sales and exhibitions	p. 243
Selected art libraries and photographic archives	p. 246
Appendices to Part 2	p. 253
Selected bibliography on looting and restitution	p. 255
The Art Looting Investigation Unit (ALIU) List	p. 259
Selected "red-flag" names from the ALIU List	p. 293
List of Consolidated and Detailed Interrogation Reports	p. 297
List of Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR) codes	p. 299
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.