Tag Archives: provenance

Netherlands Restitutions Committee Issues Opinion on Matisse Painting

Posted on: July 29, 2024 by Lilian Palmer

On 27 May, the Netherlands Restitutions Committee examined an application for the restitution of a painting to the heirs of Albert Stern and his wife Marie. The painting, an oil on canvas titled Odalisque (1920 – 1921) by Henri Matisse, has been part of the Stedelijk Museum’s collection since 1941 and in the possession of […]

New Guilty Plea in the “Norval Morrisseau” Forgery Ring Scheme

Posted on: July 8, 2024 by Lauren Gowler

Norval Morrisseau – also known by his Anishinaabe name “Copper Thunderbird” – left a lasting mark on contemporary Indigenous art in Canada with his vibrant and spiritually charged paintings. Active between the 1960s and 2000s, Norval Morrisseau achieved recognition through his distinctive Woodland-style art, exhibiting in galleries around the globe. However, amidst this remarkable legacy, […]

Disputed Rubens Paintings to Stay at Courtauld

Posted on: May 8, 2024 by Lilian Palmer

In March, the Spoliation Advisory Panel published its latest Report, concerning three claims made in regards to three paintings attributed to Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens. The paintings, owned by the Samuel Courtauld Trust and in the possession of the Courtauld Institute of Art, are: St Gregory the Great with Ss Maurus and Papianus and […]

Art Antiquity and Law – April Issue

Posted on: April 15, 2024 by Ruth Redmond-Cooper

The April issue of 2024 Art Antiquity and Law has gone to press: hard copies will be posted out to subscribers next week, and for digital subscribers, the online version should be available via Hein very soon. This issue contains an article by Achilleas Iasonos  (Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Earth and Ocean Lab, Department of […]

Bridging Cultures and Restoring Heritage: My Journey with the Lost Western Zhou Dynasty Artefact – Feng Xingshu Gui

Posted on: April 2, 2024 by Siyi Wu

In the captivating world of art restitution and repatriation, each artefact whispers tales of ancient times and distant lands, waiting to be heard. Among these, the story of the recently repatriated Feng Xingshu Gui (丰刑叔簋) stands out – a narrative not just of rediscovery but of bridging cultures and epochs. My tenure at the Art […]

The Restitution of Nazi-Looted Art: The Next 25 Years

Posted on: January 14, 2024 by Matthias Weller

A number of events and presentations marked the 25th anniversary of the Washington Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art. Among these were “Marking 25 Years of the Washington Principles – Restitution of Nazi-Looted Art“ at the Leo Baeck Institute for the Study of German-Jewish History and Culture at New York on 3 December 2023, but also, for […]

The Cost of Our Appetite for Gold

Posted on: December 11, 2023 by Emefa Cole

The Allure of Gold Gold is undoubtably the most seductive of the noble metals. It is revered, considered sacred and mystical in many cultures. It is associated with the supernatural, royalty, wealth and prestige – we hear of alchemists of yesteryear turning lead into gold and stories of mythical creatures who inhabit mines around the […]

Australia Investigates Allegations of Painting by Non-Indigenous Studio Staff

Posted on: May 19, 2023 by Elizabeth Pearson

Australia’s National Gallery and three governments have launched separate inquiries into allegations reported by a national newspaper that non-Indigenous studio staff painted on First Nations artists’ works, including art due to be exhibited in the country’s capital in June. The Australian published allegations on 7 April 2023 that non-Indigenous staff at Tjala Arts Centre, a […]

Spoliation Advisory Panel Recommends Return of Courbet Painting to Original Owners

Posted on: May 5, 2023 by Lilian Palmer

The UK’s Spoliation Advisory Panel, which handles claims relating to lost possession of cultural property during the Nazi era, has not published a new report in seven years. As such, their most recent recommendation, published on 28 March 2023, is particularly worthy of note. The Panel has recommended that a landscape painting by leading French […]

Gurlitt trove eludes restitution efforts owing to unresolved provenance questions

Posted on: July 1, 2020 by Stephanie Drawdy

The full story of the billion-dollar art collection gathered by Nazi art dealer Hildebrand Gurlitt during World War II may never be told. After years spent trying to determine the collection’s history, the prior owners of a large majority of those works remain unknown. This is a story we have followed with interest throughout its […]