Project on the Museum Folkwang collection
Acquisitions 1933–1945 and 1946–1970
(paintings and sculptures)
Begin: Autumn 2019, duration: 12 months

From 1 December, 2016 onwards the paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings held by Museum Folkwang have been systematically examined and, using the colour scheme outlined earlier, categorized according to how urgently they need to be studied. So, for the first time a documented record has been established regarding the need to investigate works as regards the possibility of their having been confiscated by the Nazis.
The project has started on 1 October 2019 and will initially address the fields of painting and sculpture. The examination funded by the German Lost Art Foundation marks the start of a systematic and integral examination of the museum’s holdings as regards possible Nazi confiscations; the findings will also be communicated to the public. Groups of objects that came into the possession of Museum Folkwang between 1933 and 1945 but also between 1946 and 1970 will be subjected to a thorough inspection.

The investigations of 106 objects will be divided into four phases:

Project phase 1: Examination of the objects and their rear side, documentation of all 106 objects

Project phase 2: Evaluation of sources and research in the museum’s own Archives

Project phase 3: In-depth research including travel

Project phase 4: Summary and fi nal evaluation, report

Project Manager
Isabel Hufschmidt
Curator for research, scientific cooperation and provenance research
isabel.hufschmidt@museum-folkwang.essen.de
T +49 201 8845 119

Project collaborator
Anna Heckötter

A project supported by