Provenance Research on the Cornelius Gurlitt Legacy at the Kunstmuseum Bern

The Gurlitt Estate

The database provides access to the entire estate of Cornelius Gurlitt (1932–2014).

To the online database Works of the Cornelius Gurlitt bequest on view

Current projects


Provenance Research on Artworks of the Cornelius Gurlitt Legacy (Works with unclarified Provenance; Priority 1: Yellow-Red)

Project Management:
Dr. Nikola Doll

Scientific Associates:
Dr. Gitta Ho
Katharina Otterbach, M. A.
Ev-Isabel Raue, M. A. 
 

Completed Projects


Provenance Research on Artworks of the German Modernists (Project Phase 2: 9.2020 – 8.2022)

In collaboration with the Forschungsstelle “Entartete Kunst” at the University of Hamburg provenance research continues on German Modernist art belonging to the Cornelius Gurlitt Estate. The research focuses on artworks presumably removed from museums during the “Degenerate Art” campaign, as well as artworks for which preliminary research was unable to confirm a confiscation in the “Degenerate Art” campaign. The state of knowledge is continuously updated and can be viewed in the GURLITT ESTATE database online. Results of the context research will be published in the book: “Hildebrand Gurlitt und die Moderne” in September 2022. 

Project Management:
Dr. Nikola Doll

Scientific Associates: 
Dr. des. Maike Brüggen
Katharina Otterbach, M. A.

 

Provenance Research on Artworks of the Cornelius Gurlitt Legacy (Works with Unclarified Provenance; Priority 1: Yellow-Red) (Project Phase 1: 9.2020 – 6.2021)

Project Management:
Dr. Nikola Doll

Scientific Associates: 
Dr. Gitta Ho 
Dr. Marcus Leifeld 
Dr. Britta Olenyi von Husen 
Ev-Isabel Raue, M. A.

 

Documentation and Standardized Referencing of Provenance Characteristics

Since 2018, the Departments for Provenance Research and Restauration-Conservation have developed standards for documentation of provenance characteristics. The HKB – Bern University of Applied Sciences supports the project.

Project Management:
Dr. Nikola Doll

Scientific Associates: 
Dorothea Spitza, M. A. Restauratorin 
Silja Meyer, M. A. (9.2018 – 8.2021)

 

Provenance Research an Artworks Removed from Museum Collections by the German Reich as part of the so-called “Degenerate Art” Campaign (1937) (Project Phase 1: 7.2019 – 6.2020)

In collaboration with the Forschungsstelle “Entartete Kunst” and the Liebelt Endowed Professorship for Provenance Research at the Art History Seminar at the University of Hamburg, two associates investigated the provenances of around 400 works by German Modernists belonging to the Gurlitt Estate.

Project Management:
Dr. Nikola Doll, Kunstmuseum Bern
Prof. Dr. Gesa Vietzen, Endowed Professorship for Provenance Research of the Liebelt-Stiftung, University of Hamburg

Scientific Associates (2019 – 2020):
Silja Meyer, M. A. (Bern) 
Nadine Vehling, M. A. (Hamburg)

 

Studio Gurlitt 2017

By August 2017, some 240 artworks of the Cornelius Gurlitt Estate had been inspected as to material-related properties and conserved, enabling them to be presented in the exhibit, Gurlitt Status Report (2017 – 2019). Damage was discovered due to conservationally unsuitable, non-archival mounting and the infestation of microorganisms. For the graphic prints, the paper-quality affected the state of preservation. Material-technical investigations marked the beginning of a consistent documentation of the Cornelius Gurlitt Estate.

Kunstmuseum Bern
Project Management:
Dr. Nathalie Bäschlin

Scientific Associates: 
Philine Claussen, M. A., Restorer 
Katja Friese, M. A., Restorer
Dorothea Spitza, M. A., Restorer
Josefine Werthmann, M. A., Restorer

External Restorers:
Patrick Lüthi, M. A., Restorer
Sandra Winkelmann, M. A., Restorer

Students of the HKB – Bern University of Applied Sciences: 
Anna Aegerter
Lena Zinniker
Eva Aebersold

  • Provenance categories

    The Kunstmuseum Bern’s categorization of provenance-research findings is intended to facilitate decisions about relinquishing ownership of particular works, and to contribute to a fair and mutually agreeable resolution with the claimants in still-unclarified provenance cases.

    Read more
  • Research on the Museum Collection

    Provenance research is concerned with the circumstances of ownership-transfer for individual artworks and the history of the collection.

    Read more

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