Person responsible for looted art lacks binding standards
Published: Sunday, Jul 14th 2024, 08:40
Back to Live Feed
The new person responsible for looted art at the Federal Office of Culture, Nikola Doll, has criticized the lack of binding standards in provenance research. In an interview with "Sonntagsblick", she pleaded for sufficient funding for independent research.
Since 1998, increased due diligence obligations have applied to provenance research, but there is still a lack of binding standards, said the 54-year-old art historian. She has been responsible for the area of looted art and provenance research at the Federal Office of Culture since April.
Doll believes that museums in particular have a duty to conduct research. "A museum should know which works are in its collection and under what circumstances they changed hands between 1933 and 1945." In addition to research, the topic of looted art also includes dealing transparently with the findings and engaging in dialog with the victims or their heirs.
Not every collection contains looted art. But it could not be ruled out. In general, she pleaded for sufficient funding to be made available for independent research. The federal government has been supporting public and private museums and collections with financial aid since 2016. The funding volume amounts to around two million francs.
Doll did not see any danger that the research would lead to all art that had Jewish owners in Europe from 1933 to 1945 having to be taken down. "That's black and white thinking!" Some victims and heirs are not interested in money, but in the recognition of historical injustice. Museums could make a contribution to this.
The Kunstmuseum Basel, for example, has decided to reappraise and exhibit the biography of a Jewish collector, said Doll. There is also the possibility that the painting could change hands but remain in the museum. "Nothing changes for the visitors."
©Keystone/SDA
English 
German 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic