Louvre teams up with Sotheby’s to investigate provenance of works bought during the Second World War

The auction house will help the Parisian institution research the history of items purchased between 1933 and 1945, which « may lead to restitutions »
Gareth Harris – The Art Newspaper
24 January 2022
The Louvre has made efforts to investigate the provenance of its collection in recent years
The Louvre has made efforts to investigate the provenance of its collection in recent years
Sotheby’s and the Louvre in Paris have joined forces on a project aimed at researching items acquired by the museum between 1933 and 1945. The sponsorship deal, which lasts three years, will help fund research that “may lead to restitutions [incorporating] digitisation, the organisation of seminars, study days, and publications”, the Louvre says in a statement.
Museum officials add: “This patronage echoes Sotheby’s commitment to the restitution of works that changed hands between 1933 and 1945. It was the first international auction house to have a department dedicated to provenance research and restitution.” Sotheby’s restitution department was founded in 1997; its scholars will assist with the Louvre’s research.
A day of film screenings is planned at the Louvre on 27 January, The International Day of Film on Art, as part of the joint programme. The event includes The Art Market During the Occupation, a 2021 documentary based on the findings of the art historian Emmanuelle Polack who was appointed by the Louvre in 2020 to investigate acquisitions made both before and after the Second World War.
See on The Art Neswpaper