Dataset: Problematic provenances of artworks in Dutch museums 31 AUG 2021

DATASET: 

Artworks published on the Dutch site Museale Verwervingen Vanaf 1933 (Investigation into the provenance of museum collections in connection with the theft, confiscation and sale of objects under duress between 1933 and 1945.)

Description: 

This dataset contains publicly available information originally published online by the Dutch authorities which has been formatted as a CSV file for easy download and analysis with digital tools. It includes 167 artworks selected by Dutch museums because they changed hands in Europe during the Nazi era (1933-1945) and have incomplete provenances. It is intended to facilitate research into Holocaust-era provenance for scholars, art historians, families, and data scientists. 

Contents: 167 artworks selected for provenance research by museums in the Netherlands

note: The objects were selected by museums in the Netherlands many of which declined to participant. The selection is not complete.

Date Retrieval: 

31 August 2021

Date Publication:  

31 August 2021

Information in the Dataset:
RetrievalDate, Source Url, Artist, Title, Year, Technique, Inventorynumber, Category, Museum, Conclusion,Explanation, Provenance, Dimensions

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Bruno Lohse Nazi Art Looter Transcription of ALIU Detailed Interrogation Report NARA RG239 DIR 6

The text below is a transcription of a document in the National Archives concerning Nazi art looting that was declassified in 1975. It concerns the notorious Nazi art looter, Bruno Lohse. This Detailed Interrogation Report was written by Monuments Man and OSS Art Looting Investigation Unit member James S. Plaut in 1945. It detailed the interrogation of Nazi art looter Bruno Lohse conducted from June 15, 1945 to August 15, 1945.

NARA : copy of transcription D. I. R. # 6 - Bruno Lohse, 1945-1946 

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/66892059/1/public?contributionType=transcription

A photocopy of the Detailed Interrogation Report Number 6 can be downloaded here: Download PDF

The text, transcribed in a digital searchable text, is below

Lostart "Nicht Mehr im Besizt" June 2021

German Lost Art Foundation Database

Objects listed as "No Longer Owned" as of June 2021

"nicht mehr im Besitz"

https://www.lostart.de/Content/05_Provenienz/BestandBVA/SOBJ/28944_EN.html

Group of reported objects - details

Number of objects	49
Holding	nicht mehr im Besitz
Description	Die Kunstverwaltung des Bundes verfügt über eine eigene Provenienzdatenbank betreffend den sogenannten Restbestand CCP, die unter folgendem Link zu recherchieren ist: external link

Gurlitt: The scandal continues

When an art historian sees the Gurlitt name in any text, the first thought should be: is it a lie?

CIR 4 LINZ S. Lane Faison describes Hitler's Linz museum as "a monument to Safe Art"

From June 1945 until the spring of 1946, Faison, Plaut, and Rousseau detained and interrogated hundreds of Nazi officials and collaborators on the whereabouts of looted works of art. - Monuments Men Foundation

CIR 1

 

Post-War Reports :

Activity of the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg in France: C.I.R. No.1 15 August 1945 (a transcribed fully searchable text of the Report)

OFFICE OF STRATEGIC SERVICES ART LOOTING INVESTIGATION UNIT APO 413 U.S. ARMY CONSOLIDATED INTERROGATION REPORT NO. 1 15

August 1945 ACTIVITY OF THE EINSTATZSTAB ROSENBERG IN FRANCE 

J. S. PLAUT Lieutenant, USNR Director 

Distribution US Chief of Counsel (War Crimes) Doc. Div. 6 J.A. Sect. (War Crimes) 3rd US Army 5 US Group CC (Germany), MFA & A 4 USFET, MFA & A 2 USFAustria (USACA), MFA & A 2 G-5 Civil Affairs War Dept. 2 Roberts Commission 2 EWD State Dept. 2 Brit. El. CC. Germany, MFA & A 4 A.C.A. (British), MFA & A 2 M.E.W. 2 M.I.5. 2 D.G.E.R. 4 Commiss. Gen. Netherlands (Ec. Recup.) 2 [p. i] 

(as published on lootedart.com)

"Dutch sources have discovered lists of over 250 items which were shipped to HERBST from Holland" - ALIU CIR 4 DR. HERBST, Dorotheum, Vienna

Question for provenance researchers: Who was Dr. Herbst?

Linz ALMAS

Maria Almas-Dietrich: Nazi art looter

"Art dealer; personal friend of Hitler, and for a time his principal buyer of works of art. One of the most important purchasing agents for Linz. Was under house arrest at Grafing, Bavaria, autumn 1945."

- ALIU 1946 Final Report

Art historians, "Almas" in a provenance text means: dig deep.

The probability of Nazi looting is high.

Below, artworks from the DHM Linz database that contain "Almas" in the provenance.

Valentin or Buchholz in Provenance Texts of American Museums

Question for art provenance researchers. How many of these artworks display gaps in the provenance for the years 1933-1945?

Which artworks, if any, appear to have the most problematic provenances? Why? 

Portraits of Murder and Plunder

Amalie Zuckerkandl was at the height of her beauty when Gustav Klimt begin this (unfinished) portrait of her in 1917-8. A member of the Viennese Zuckerkandl family, Amalie was murdered in the Holocaust along with her daughter Nora Stiansy because they were Jewish, and her portrait was stolen by Nazis.

Serena (Szeréna) Lederer was the model for this beautiful portrait by Gustav Klimt. Her family, which was Jewish, was plundered by the Nazis. Serena Lederer died in 1943 as a refugee from Nazism. 

This magnificent portrait by Klimt depicts the Jewish Austrian intellectual and feminist Adele Bloch-Bauer. Commissioned by her husband, Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, a Jewish banker and sugar producer, the painting was looted by the Nazis in 1941, along with numerous other artworks. 

Irène Cahen d'Anvers was eight years old when her father, the French Jewish banker Louis Cahen d'Anvers, commissioned this lovely portrait from Pierre-Auguste Renoir in 1880.  During World War II, the Nazis stole the portrait and murdered Irène's daughter, Béatrice, her ex-son-in-law and their two children because of their Jewish ancestry.

The painter Eduard Einschlag was murdered in the Treblinka concentration camp in 1942, and his estate was confiscated. He painted this self portrait in 1930.

Renoir painted this portrait of the Austrian actress Tilla Durieux (Ottilie Godeffroy, 1880–1971) in 1914 when she was married to the art dealer Paul Cassirer. After Cassirer's suicide she married Ludwig Katzenellenbogen who was deported and murdered in the Nazi Sachsenhausen concentration camp in 1944 because Jewish.

Selfportrait by the German Jewish painter Ernst Oppler, showing himself as an art collector.  Ernest Oppler died in 1929, thus escaping the Holocaust, but many members if his family were plundered and persecuted by the Nazis; his brother, the doctor Berthold Oppler, committed suicide in detention on 6 January 1943 to avoid imminent deportation to a Nazi death camp.

The German Jewish painter Charlotte Salomon looks warily at the viewer in this self-portrait from 1940; her family fled Germany for France after Kristallnacht but, five months pregnant, she was captured and murdered in Auschwitz in 1943. 

This brooding self-portrait was painted by the German Jewish artist Felix Nussbaum who died in Auschwitz in 1944.

Getrud Loew was the daughter of Gustav Klimt's doctor, Anton Loew. She was 19 years old when this portait was painted (see full length here). She managed to escape Nazi Vienna in 1939,  under her widowed name Gertha Felsöványi.  

"Pieces with titles that referenced their Jewish origins, were completely changed. For example, The Portrait of Margaret Stonborough Wittgenstein (a Jew) became Damenbildnis in Weiss (Portrait of a lady in white)." - (Morowitz, Laura. “‘Heil the Hero Klimt!’: Nazi Aesthetics in Vienna and the 1943 Gustav Klimt Retrospective.” Oxford University Press 39, no. 1 (2016): 122-23. cited by Gabrielle Knight in Honors Thesis)

Little is known about Walburga "Wally" Neuzil, the blue-eyed model painted by Egon Schiele in 1912. The portrait was stolen by a Nazi art dealer from the collection of Jewish collector Lea Bondi Jaray when her gallery was Aryanized by Nazis in 1939 and she was forced to flee Vienna as a Jew. 

For more reading, see:

Un tableau de Klimt volé par les nazis n'a jamais été restitué à son propriétaire

‘Heil the Hero Klimt!’: Nazi Aesthetics in Vienna and the 1943 Gustav Klimt Retrospective

Leipzig gibt jüdischer Familie ein Stück Geschichte zurück

A Blood-Stained Renoir on Exhibit in Paris

Leipzig Mayor Hand Delivers Nazi-era Art to Painter's Heirs 

Case Review: Cassirer v. Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection Foundation

Holocaust Victim Assets Litigation Case No. CV96-4849

Ein Haus wie ein Museum

Die Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz gibt Kunstwerke aus der Sammlung des von den Nationalsozialisten verfolgten und ermordeten Max Silberberg zurück.

Münchner Kunstfund Bewusst verschleiert

A Tale of Two Portraits, by Rudolf Beran

Raubkunstverdacht: Der Kandinsky-Konflikt

Der Schandfleck

Bank's Kandinsky painting was looted by Nazis, says family

Loebl in the Kleinberger archives

 

Network described in the 1946 OSS Art Looting Investigation Unit (ALIU) Final Report Red Flag List of Names: Ali (Allen) Loebl and Bruno Lohse

https://www.lootedart.com/MVI3RM469661

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The OSS ALIU Reports on Nazi looting networks in Europe put Allen Loebl at the center of a syndicate of art dealers trading Nazi looted art. Loebl appears in the Red Flag Name index and is mentioned in the Final report fourteen times. The ALIU investigators who drafted the Final Report specified that Loebl had close ties to Bruno Lohse, a notorious Nazi art plunderer. 

At the very least, the mention of Loebl in a provenance from the Nazi era (1933-1945) should mobilise provenance researchers and Holocaust researchers to trace the full history of the artwork in question and to verify whether the artwork belonged to a Jewish collector or dealer who was persecuted when Hitler came to power.  

In this context, the publication of the Kleinberger Archives represents a major step forward. 

https://cdm16028.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16028coll23/search/searchterm/loebl

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It was chiefly through LOEBL that LOHSE became familiar with the Paris art trade, and became acquainted with such other dealers and Victor MANDEL, PERDOUX and ENGEL, who operated as an informal syndicate. (See Consolidated Interrogation Report No. 3, "German Methods of Acquisition, " Dealers.)

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The Kleinberger archives are now online. 

Searching is fast and easy. Results show all the mentions, as well as the artists and more. 

Below is the result of a simple search for Loebl, (cousin of Kleinberger president Harry Sperling and a Red Flag Name for his involvement in selling Nazi looted art).

https://cdm16028.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16028coll23/search/searchterm/loebl

a.l. paris (36)

allen loebl (19)

a. loebl, paris (11)

a. loebl paris (7)

allen loebl paris (7)

allen loebl, paris (7)

a. l. paris (5)

a. loebl (5)

aly (4)

a.l.paris (3)

aly loebl (3)

hotel drouet sale (3)

a. loebl - paris (2)

a. loebl 2/5 th. share (2)

a.l. paris (1/2 share) (2)

al paris (2)

ali (2)

allen loebl 40% (2)

Hôtel Drouot (2)

45""; in a/c with a.l.; e.l. 10"" (1)

a-l - paris 1/2 share (1)

a-l paris 1/3 share (1)

a. berg estate (1)

a. l. pair (1)

a. l. paris 1/3; mandl 1/3 (1)

a. loebl - paris 1/2 share (1)

a. loebl 40% share (1)

a. loebl, paris 1/2 share (1)

a.a.a. auction (1)

a.l. paris 1/2 share (1)

a.l. paris 1/3 share (1)

a.l. paris memo (1)

a.l.paris 1/2 share (1)

a.l.paris on memo (1)

a.loebl paris (1)

al (1)

al, paris (1)

albert k. schneider (1)

ali, paris (1)

allan loebl 1/2 share (1)

allen lobel (1)

allen loebl (40%) (1)

allen loebl-paris (1)

aly (woog) (1)

American Art Association (1)

american art association, schiff sale (1)

arthur m-rosenbaum (1)

bachstitz hague holland (1)

c.b. duhrkoop (1)

collection privee [private coll.] de m. allen loebl, paris (1)

e. donath thru e. loebl (1)

e. loebl (1)

e.a. silberman (1)

estate of august berg (1)

estate of august bers (1)

estated of a-berg, portland, oregon (1)

f. kleinberger and on join a/c with a.s. drey, munich (1)

f. kleinberger, paris (loebl) (1)

hartford museum (1)

john levy (1)

k. loebl, wien (1)

kleinberger galleries paris allen loebl, paris (1)

lobl, bpest (1)

lobl, budapest (1)

lobl, graf salm, wien (1)

lobl, prince salm, wien (1)

loebl, budapest (1)

momo allen loebl, paris (1)

olshman [?] by aly (1)

on consignment from a. loebl (1)

on memo a loebl (1)

p.w. french & co. (1)

s.w. frankel (1)

veil picard, paris (1)

w.m. griscom jr (1)

The artists concerned by these transactions (according to the website) include:

Corneille, de Lyon, -approximately 1574 (8)

Goyen, Jan van, 1596-1656 (4)

Bourdichon, Jean, 1457?-1521? (3)

Nuzi, Allegretto, active 14th century (3)

Rubens, Peter Paul, 1577-1640 (3)

Avercamp, Hendrick, 1585-1634 (2)

Bellotto, Bernardo, 1722-1780 (2)

Benozzo, di Lese, 1420-1497 (2)

Benson, Ambrosius, 1495-1550 (2)

Brouwer, Adriaen, 1605 or 1606-1638 (2)

Cariani, Giovanni, approximately 1485-approximately 1547 (2)

clouet, francois, -1572 (2)

Gauguin, Paul, 1848-1903 (2)

Goya, Francisco, 1746-1828 (2)

Isenbrant, Adriaen, approximately 1490-1551 (2)

Master of Moulins, active approximately 1480-1503 (2)

Murillo, Bartolomé Esteban, 1617-1682 (2)

Neer, Aert van der, 1603 or 1604-1677 (2)

Orley, Bernard van, -1542 (2)

Ostade, Isack van, 1621-1649 (2)

Painting, Dutch (2)

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1606-1669 (2)

Steen, Jan, 1626-1679 (2)

teniers, david, 1638-1685 (2)

Van Dyck, Anthony, 1599-1641 (2)

achenbach, andreas, 1815-1910 (1)

Alken, Henry Thomas, 1784-1851 (1)

Apollonio di Giovanni, approximately 1415-1465 (1)

bardou, miguel arias, 1841-1915 (1)

Battaglioli, Francesco, approximately 1710-approximately 1796 (1)

beert, osias, approximately 1580-1624 (1)

Beyeren, Abraham van, approximately 1620-1690 (1)

Bijlert, Jan van, 1597 or 1598-1671 (1)

Boccaccino, Boccaccio, -1525 (1)

Borch, Gerard ter, 1617-1681 (1)

Bourdon, Sébastien, 1616-1671 (1)

Bouts, Albrecht, -1549 (1)

Brekelenkam, Quiringh Gerritsz., approximately 1620-1668 (1)

Breu, Jörg, approximately 1480-1537 (1)

Bruegel, Jan, 1568-1625 (1)

campin, robert, -1444 (1)

Carriera, Rosalba, 1675-1757 (1)

Cleve, Joos van, -approximately 1540 (1)

Codde, Pieter, 1648-1710 (1)

Coffermans, Marcellus, approximately 1525-approximately 1578 (1)

conti, francesco, 1681 or 1682-1732 (1)

Copley, John Singleton, 1738-1815 (1)

Costa, Lorenzo, 1460-1535 (1)

Couture, Thomas, 1815-1879 (1)

Cranach, Lucas, 1472-1553 (1)

Cuyp, Aelbert, 1620-1691 (1)

dorigny, charles, active 16th century (1)

Dou, Gerard, 1613-1675 (1)

Dou, Gerard, 1613-1675. (1)

duplessis, joseph-siffrede, 1725-1802. (1)

Engelbrechtszoon, Cornelis, 1468-1533 (1)

Eyck, Jan van, 1390-1440 (1)

Fabritius, Barent, 1624-1673 (1)

Flinck, Govaert, 1615-1660 (1)

francois i period-early xvith (1)

Gaddi, Taddeo, approximately 1300-approximately 1366 (1)

Géricault, Théodore, 1791-1824 (1)

giovanni, da milano, active 14th century (1)

Goya, Francisco, 1746-1828. (1)

Heemskerk, Martin van, 1498-1574 (1)

Helt Stockade, Nicolaes van, 1614-1669 (1)

hemessen, jan sanders van, approximately 1500-approximately 1563 (1)

Hogarth, William, 1697-1764 (1)

Hooch, Pieter de (1)

horenbout, lucas, approximately 1490-1544 (1)

Jordaens, Jacob, 1593-1678 (1)

joudreville, isaac de, 1613-1648 (1)

Knijff, Wouter, approximately 1607- after 1693 (1)

Lancret, Nicolas, 1690-1743 (1)

Laurencin, Marie, 1883-1956 (1)

Le Nain, Antoine, 1588-1648 (1)

lepoittevin, eugene-modeste-edmond, 1806-1870 (1)

Longhi, Pietro, 1702-1785 (1)

Lucas y Villamil, Eugenio, 1858-1890 (1)

mandyn, jan, approximately 1500-1559 (1)

Mariotto di Nardo, active 1393-1424 (1)

masquerier, john james, 1778-1855 (1)

master of the magdalen, approximately 1265-1290 (1)

Molenaer, Klaes, before 1630-1676 (1)

Mor, Anthonis, approximately 1517-1576 or 1577 (1)

Moretto, da Brescia, 1498?-1554 (1)

munkacsy, mihaly, 1844-1900 (1)

Neri di Bicci, 1419-1491 (1)

os, jan van, 1744-1808 (1)

Ostade, Adriaen van, 1610-1685 (1)

Palamedesz., Anthonie, 1601-1673 (1)

Palma, il Vecchio, 1480?-1528 (1)

perrier, francois, 1590?-1656? (1)

pilon, germain, approximately 1535-1590 (1)

Pluym, Karel van der, 1625-1672 (1)

Provost, Jan, 1465-1529 (1)

Raphael, 1483-1520 (1)

Reynolds, Joshua, Sir, 1723-1792 (1)

rivelli, galeazzo, active 14th century (1)

Robie, Jean, 1821-1910 (1)

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The Kleinberger Archives offer new possibilities for research.

note: Under Harry Sperling, the president of Kleinberger and Allen Loebl's cousin, the Kleinberger art dealership got up to all kinds of tricky business. 


Sperling deserves a serious investigative biography that takes into account his art dealing, smuggling, and intelligence-related activities, which are attested in numerous documents.

This new resource, which makes it possible to quickly search through the Kleinberger files, should help researchers who want to shed like on these transactions.