{"id":13607,"date":"2026-06-12T22:03:31","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T20:03:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kunsthalle-bielefeld.de\/?post_type=journal&p=13607"},"modified":"2026-06-12T22:25:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T20:25:16","slug":"provenance-research-at-the-kunsthalle-bielefeld","status":"publish","type":"journal","link":"https:\/\/kunsthalle-bielefeld.de\/en\/entdecken\/kb-journal\/provenance-research-at-the-kunsthalle-bielefeld\/","title":{"rendered":"Provenance Research at the Kunsthalle Bielefeld"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In an interview, art historian Jan Giebel discusses his research on the history of the collection and the Kunsthalle Bielefeld institution. He talks about his first impressions, the challenges he faced during his research, and why provenance research is much more than just archival work. The exhibition focuses on paintings, sculptures, and other works of art acquired between 1933 and 1974.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":13604,"template":"","format":"standard","journal-categories":[59],"class_list":["post-13607","journal","type-journal","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","journal-categories-essay"],"acf":{"blocks_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text_sans_klein","text":"Written interview, June 2026"},{"acf_fc_layout":"bild_single","bild":14676},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_serif_normal","text":"Since April 2026, the Kunsthalle Bielefeld has been systematically investigating the provenance of selected works from the city\u2019s art collection as part of a two-year research project. The exhibition focuses on paintings, sculptures, and other works of art acquired between 1933 and 1974. The goal is to identify potential cases of cultural property confiscated as a result of Nazi persecution and, at the same time, to continue researching the history of the collection<\/a> and the institution. Art historian Jan Giebel has been working in the provenance research department at the Kunsthalle Bielefeld for the past two months. In the interview, he talks about his first impressions, the challenges of research work, and why provenance research is much more than just archival work."},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_serif_normal","text":"You have been in charge of provenance research at the Kunsthalle Bielefeld since April 2026. How would you explain your job to someone hearing the term \u201cprovenance research\u201d for the first time?<\/strong>\n\nProvenance research is a key task in museums. She investigates the origins of works of art and other cultural artifacts\u2014and, in doing so, the life stories of the people who once owned them. You can think of provenance as the \u201cbiography\u201d of a work of art: every object has its own history of ownership. Before an object ends up in a museum, it often goes through many stages. It is created by artists, may be exhibited in a gallery, purchased by collectors, passed down through generations, resold, or traded at auctions, until it eventually becomes part of a museum collection. These examples may give you an idea of just how varied the paths can be.<\/em>\n\n\u00a0\n\nWhy is provenance research so important in museums?<\/strong>\n\nToday, provenance research generally aims to identify cultural objects that were unlawfully taken from their owners in the past. As part of the project at the Kunsthalle Bielefeld, the collection is being reviewed for so-called cultural property confiscated as a result of Nazi persecution, or, in short, Nazi-looted art. That is why it is important to investigate the exact circumstances surrounding the changes in ownership\u2014particularly for the period between 1933 and 1945. This is the only way to determine whether these transfers of ownership were truly voluntary and lawful.\n<\/em>In addition to art museums, numerous other museums and cultural heritage institutions, such as natural history museums and libraries, now conduct provenance research. Depending on the profile and the history of the collection, other historical contexts of injustice may also be explored. In addition to the Nazi era, these include colonial contexts in Germany, as well as the period of the Soviet Occupation Zone and the GDR.<\/em>\n\n\u00a0\n\nWhat exactly is the goal of the project at the Kunsthalle Bielefeld?<\/strong>\n\nOver the course of the two-year project, the aim is first to reconstruct, research, and document as completely as possible the provenance of 151 paintings and 43 sculptures from the municipal collection of the Kunsthalle Bielefeld. All of these works were added to the collection between 1933 and 1974. The period covers both the Nazi era and the postwar years up to the end of the tenure of Joachim Wolfgang von Moltke, the third postwar director of the Kunsthalle Bielefeld. A large museum collection can only be examined step by step, so it makes sense to study the history of the collection by examining the different phases of acquisition. In addition, the initial focus will be on paintings and sculptures. In the case of unique paintings and sculptures, the source material is generally more reliable and comprehensive than, for example, in the case of serially produced prints, which are often published in large editions. Nevertheless, looking ahead, it is of course just as important to conduct research on the graphic collection. Another key priority of the project is ensuring transparency in the handling of the results.<\/em>\n\n\u00a0\n\nThe project also aims to further explore the institutional history of the Kunsthalle. Why is it important to look at our own history?<\/strong>\n\nI believe that an open examination of an institution\u2019s own history and that of its collections is an integral part of a modern cultural institution\u2019s self-image in the 21st century. The Kunsthalle Bielefeld has a significant collection<\/a> that has grown over the decades. Many works were exhibited in major international exhibitions in the early 20th century or were owned and traded by prominent patrons of modern art. All of these stories and connections can be brought to light through provenance research. They help us better understand the collection and can lead to new perspectives and themes for the future.\n<\/em>At the same time, however, it is both important and necessary for a museum, in its role as a public space for education and democratic participation, to critically examine the problematic aspects of its institutional history. Since the Kunsthalle did not open until 1968, attention is focused primarily on its predecessor, the St\u00e4dtische Kunsthaus Bielefeld. The question at issue is to what extent it benefited from the Nazi dictatorship and what role it played in spreading Nazi ideology and propaganda.<\/em>\n\n\u00a0\n\nWhat exactly are you working on right now?<\/strong>\n\nI am currently researching the provenance of works in the painting collection that were acquired between 1949 and 1974. To do this, I conduct research in the museum\u2019s records, as well as in numerous archives and historical catalogs. The artworks themselves can also provide clues, as they often bear stamps, labels, or inscriptions from previous owners on the back. <\/em>\n\n\u00a0\n\nThe history of the Kunsthalle's collection dates back to the late 1920s. What role does the Nazi era play in this?<\/strong>\n\nDuring the Nazi era, there were numerous cases of forced loss of property. The anti-Semitic laws and regulations enacted by the Nazi regime beginning in 1933 were aimed at the social exclusion and economic exploitation of the Jewish population\u2014for example, through occupational bans, discriminatory special taxes, or the so-called \u201cAryanization\u201d of businesses. Many people were forced to sell cultural artifacts and valuables in order to alleviate the poverty caused by persecution or to finance their emigration to a safe haven abroad. In other cases, Nazi authorities confiscated the belongings of emigrants or the possessions of people who had been deported or murdered.\n<\/em>Since many cultural objects confiscated during the Nazi era are still held in public and private collections today, the Federal Republic of Germany and numerous other nations agreed on the so-called Washington Principles at a conference in Washington in 1998. In short, these are a commitment to continue the proactive and systematic search for Nazi-looted art. The City of Bielefeld and the Kunsthalle Bielefeld are putting this commitment into practice through their current project.<\/em>\n\n\u00a0\n\nWhat happens if evidence actually emerges that cultural property was confiscated as a result of Nazi persecution?<\/strong>\n\nIf provenance research can conclusively demonstrate that a cultural object was seized as a result of persecution during the Nazi era, the Washington Principles mentioned above and their subsequent national declarations provide for the search for a so-called just and fair solution with the rightful owners or their heirs. Such a solution can take many different forms. Cultural property is often restituted, that is, returned. In some cases, the works are subsequently repurchased by the museum or returned to the collection on permanent loan. If they remain in the museum in this way, their history\u2014including that of their former owners and the circumstances of their acquisition\u2014is usually presented alongside the artwork.\n<\/em>Provenance research provides the scientific basis on which a just and fair solution can then be found. Provenance researchers are often involved in identifying the current rightful heirs. However, it is generally political or institutional bodies that decide what conclusions to draw from the research findings. <\/em>\n\n\u00a0\n\nProvenance research sounds like very intensive archival work. Are there moments that are particularly motivating?<\/strong>\n\nYes, that's true: you spend a lot of time searching and researching in archives, files, and publications\u2014you definitely have to enjoy that. Of course, research can sometimes be difficult or even frustrating, as gaps have emerged due to the passage of time, or some questions simply have to remain unanswered for the time being. But tough moments are probably part of every job.\n<\/em>Provenance research is a highly interdisciplinary and collaborative field of work. When you start a research project, you often have no idea where it will lead in the end. Only gradually do the clues and insights gathered from a wide variety of sources come together to form a bigger picture. This often only works through collaboration with a wide variety of colleagues from museums, archives, or the art trade. The primary goal of this project\u2014to examine the collection for cultural property that may have been confiscated as a result of Nazi persecution\u2014is just as inspiring as the many stories behind the artworks that have been uncovered, nearly all of which are worth telling.<\/em>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_serif_normal","text":"The project is funded by the German Center for Lost Cultural Property and the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.<\/strong>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"logos","logos":[13497,1987],"subline":""}],"gallerie":null,"subtitle":"A Conversation with Jan Giebel "},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kunsthalle-bielefeld.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/journal\/13607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kunsthalle-bielefeld.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/journal"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kunsthalle-bielefeld.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/journal"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kunsthalle-bielefeld.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kunsthalle-bielefeld.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"journal-categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kunsthalle-bielefeld.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/journal-categories?post=13607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}