Holocaust Provenance

Research on World War II History of Ownership

Adolf Hitler’s ruthless ambition for German political control of Europe was matched by his calculated campaign to control its cultural assets, including works of art. Between 1933 and 1945, the Nazis confiscated the holdings of many governments and individuals that they had subjugated. Hitler and his top advisors admired traditional European art and planned a new museum in Linz, Austria, that would display the finest examples from confiscated collections. Hitler’s Reich Marshall Hermann Goering was also building a lavish private collection.

Because they considered it damaging to German ideals, the Nazis despised modern art. They labeled Impressionist and Expressionist works “degenerate” and confiscated them from national museums, publicly burning some of these works but exchanging most of them with dealer-collaborators for desirable examples of Old Master painting.

In the decades following World War II, many American museums unknowingly received confiscated works of art. In 1997 the Seattle Art Museum discovered that one of its works had such a history, which was confirmed by research in the United States and France. In 1999 SAM returned the painting, Odalisque, by Henri Matisse, to the heirs of Paul Rosenberg, a French art dealer whose collection was confiscated by the Nazis in 1941.

Many American museums are now making concentrated efforts to clarify gaps in their provenance (history of ownership) records from the World War II era to enable the rightful owners or their descendants to identify lost works from their collections. Declassification of documents has aided new research and brought much new evidence and information to light. Still, because many records were lost or destroyed, gaps in provenance information are not unusual.

The Seattle Art Museum has a relatively small collection of European art, and research into the histories of these works is an ongoing process. The list below includes works of art that have gaps in their provenance, have unclear dates of transfer between owners, or may have been in Europe during the Nazi era (1933–1945). Their presence on this list does not mean that we suspect that the Nazis were involved in their history. These are areas where we are conducting further research to clarify the history of ownership.

This list is a work in progress. As provenance research is an integral part of the museum’s work, our researchers will continue investigating the histories of these objects, and we will be posting new information as it comes to light. Art Loss Register searches have been completed for all recent acquisitions. If you have any questions or information about the works of art in the Seattle Art Museum’s collection, please feel free to contact us at research@seattleartmuseum.org. We hope that by publicly posting the history of these works of art we may assist the efforts worldwide to identify works looted during World War II and return them to the families of their rightful owners.

For more information on provenance standards and research in museums, please see:

• AAM's Guidelines Concerning the Unlawful Appropriation of Objects During the Nazi Era
• Report of the Association of Art Museum Directors Task Force on the Looting of Art During the Nazi/World War II Era
• International Research Portal for Records Related to Nazi-Era Cultural Property

1. Woman and Girl (Frau und Mädchen), Ernst Ludwig Kirchner , Germany, 1880 - 1938
2. Triton and Seahorse, A Bozzetto, Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini , Italian, 1598-1680; Lambert-Sigisbert Adam (Adam the elder) , French, 1700-1759
3. Abraham Sacrificing Isaac, Alessandro Algardi , Italian, 1598-1654
4. Mercury and Argus, Jacopo Amigoni , Italian, Venice, ca. 1685 - 1752
5. Madame Brion, Seated, Taking Tea, Jacques-André-Joseph Aved , French, 1702 - 1766
6. Mourning Virgin Mary, Baccio da Montelupo , Italian, 1469-1535?; Giovanni Bandini , Italian (Florence), 1540-1599
7. The Adoration of the Magi, Francesco Bassano , Italian, 1549-1592
8. Banquet Still Life, Abraham van Beyeren , Dutch, ca. 1620/21-1690
9. Cupid, Designer Pietro Francavilla , Flemish, 1548-1615; Designer Giambologna , Flemish, active Italy, 1529-1608
10. Portrait of Paul Serusier, Pierre Bonnard , French, 1867-1947
11. Mme. H and Her Children, Louis André Gabriel Bouchet , French, 1759-1842
12. Portrait of a Young Woman, Agnolo Bronzino , Italian, 16th century
13. Dancing Peasants, Pieter Brueghel the Elder , Flemish, 1525-1569
14. Venus and Adonis, Workshop of Paolo di Gabriele di Piero Caliari (known as Veronese) , Italian, 1528-1588
15. Bacino di San Marco, Antonio Canal (known as Canaletto) , Italian, 1697-1768
16. Seascape with Fishing Boats, Dutch
17. The Doge's Palace and the Grand Canal, Venice, Luca Carlevariis , Italian, Venice, 1663-1729
18. A Country Gentleman, Giacomo Ceruti , Italian, Brescia, 1698-1767
19. Girl Holding Doves, Claude Michel (called Clodion) , French, 1738-1814
20. Children Playing with a Goat, Claude Michel (called Clodion) , French, 1738-1814
21. Charles d'Amboise, Bernardino de' Conti , Italian, Milan, ca. 1470 - ca. 1522
22. The Judgment of Paris, Lucas Cranach the Elder , German, Wittenberg, 1472 - 1553
23. Adoration of the Shepherds, Giuseppe Maria Crespi , Italian, 1665-1747
24. Christ, crowned with Thorns, Hans Daucher Workshop , German
25. The Cascatella at Tivoli, Gaspard Dughet , Italian, 1615-1675
26. St. Catherine Meeting the Empress, Burgundian
27. The Triumph of Neptune, Luca Giordano , Italian, Naples, 1634-1705
28. Adoration of the Christ Child, Gherardo di Giovanni del Fora , Italian, Florence, 1445-1497
29. Shepherdess Adorned with Flowers, Gerrit van Honthorst , Dutch, 1590-1656
30. Sabine Houdon at Age Four, Jean-Antoine Houdon , French, 1741-1828
31. The Origin of the Cornucopia, Abraham Janssens , Flemish, Antwerp, ca. 1575-1632
32. Portrait of a Man, Nicholas de Largilličre , French, 1656-1746
33. The Adoration of the Magi, Master of the Straus Madonna , Italian, Florence, late 14th-early 15th centuries
34. Christ Walking on the Water, Attributed to Alessandro Magnasco , Italian, 1677-1749
35. Landscape with Figures, Alessandro Magnasco , Italian, 1677-1749
36. John the Baptist, Master of the David and St. John Statuettes , Italian
37. The Duet, Jan Miense Molenaer , Dutch, Haarlem, ca. 1610-1668
38. Christ on the Cross with the Virgin and St. John, Lorenzo Monaco , Italian, Florence, ca. 1370-1425
39. Christ and the Woman of Samaria, Francesco de Mura , Italian, Naples, 1696-1782
40. Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple, Pieter Neeffs the Elder , Flemish, 1578-1659; Frans Francken III , Flemish, 1607-1667
41. Lamentation Over the Dead Christ, Jacopo Palma , Italian, 1544-1628
42. The Virgin Presenting the Rosary to Saint Dominic, Antonio Palomino , Spanish, 1655 - 1726
43. Coastal Scene, Giovanni Paolo Panini , Italian, 1692-1765
44. Head of Christ, Andrea Previtali , Italian, 1470-1528
45. Ecce Homo, Luca della Robbia , Italian, 1399-1482
46. Virgin and Child with Angels, Atelier of Andrea della Robbia , Italian
47. The Last Supper, Peter Paul Rubens , Flemish, 1577-1640
48. St. Jerome, Jacopo del Sellaio , Italian, 1441/2-1493
49. The Lamentation over the Dead Christ, Massimiliano Soldani , Italian, Florence, 1656-1740
50. St. Jerome and the Lion, Spanish
51. Hagar and the Angel, Bernardo Strozzi , Italian, 1581-1644
52. The Triumph of Valor over Time, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo , Italian, 1696 - 1770
53. Self-portrait, Gaspare Traversi , Italian, 1732-1769
54. Christ, Betrayal, Utrecht Master , Dutch
55. Christ, Resurrection, Utrecht Master , Dutch
56. Boys Blowing Bubbles, Attributed to Michaelina Woutiers , Flemish, ca. 1620 - after 1682
57. Allegory, Stradanus (Jan van der Straet) , Flemish, active Italy, 1523-1605
58. Christ on the Road to Calvary, Flemish
59. Church Interior, Emanuel de Witte , Dutch, 1617-1692
60. Barcelona, Francis Picabia , French, 1879-1953
61. Portrait of Bartolomeo Sirigatti, Artist Francesco Traballesi , Italian, 1544 - 1588
62. The Rest on the Flight into Egypt, Artist Francisco de Zurbarán , Spanish, 1598 - 1664
63. Allegory, Stradanus (Jan van der Straet) , Flemish, active Italy, 1523-1605
64. Saint Sebastian Tended by Saint Irene, Attributed to Georges de La Tour and Studio , French, 1593-1653