Nazi spoliation and provenance research 1933-1945

The Nazi regime didn’t just steal property, it stripped millions of people of their dignity, their identity and, in many cases, their sense of belonging.

In recognition of the enduring impact of these injustices, museums and cultural institutions around the world share a collective responsibility to confront the legacy of the Nazi Era.

In 1998, 44 international delegations met at the Washington Conference to address the many unresolved claims from this period. The outcome of these deliberations – the Washington Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art – has since become the most influential set of international guidelines for the return of looted cultural property. These principles highlight the importance of transparency, rigorous provenance research, ethical responsibility and the pursuit of just and fair solutions.

We recognise the moral weight of this history and are committed to honouring those affected by working to restore what was taken, both in objects and in memory.

In 2002, we began investigating the ownership history of the Library and Special Collections to understand whether any cultural works stolen by the Nazis or sold under duress between 1933 and 1945 had been unwittingly acquired.

While the Washington Principles focus mainly on looted art, we recognise that natural history specimens and curiosities may have also been acquired under duress during this period. As such, we’ve undertaken similar initiatives across the scientific collections we care for to examine their origins. Our aim is to ensure transparency and to present these difficult yet important histories both in our galleries and online.

What we do

Preventive provenance research and due diligence

Provenance research means tracing the history of an object from its creation, or first known point in time, to the present. This includes all owners, changes of hands, transfers, loans, exports and imports.

Many objects have complex, opaque or incomplete histories. This is especially true for those that have passed through periods of conflict, colonial acquisition, forced sale, illicit trade or looting. Provenance research is vital for:

• verifying legal title and thereby ensuring ownership is lawful
• establishing ethical legitimacy of acquisition or display, for example avoiding holding or exhibiting objects acquired through illicit or immoral means
• increasing transparency and accountability, as provenance tells the story not only of the object but of how and why a museum or institution came to hold it

We’re committed to establishing the full provenance of new specimens and items entering the Museum, with particular attention paid to the years between 1933 and 1945. We follow dedicated object-entry, due-diligence research and acquisition procedures that ensure consistent best practice, with particular attention paid to the statement of principles issued by the National Museums Directors’ Council.

Proactive research

After nearly 200 years of collecting, many objects already in the collections we house have incomplete or unknown provenance records. Through various forms of collection use, including exhibitions, research, loans and gallery displays, as well as through our UNLOCKED programme, which involves relocating 36 million specimens and their associated data, we’re encountering and addressing numerous unresolved historical issues.

Simon Dade is our representative for all matters relating to connections between the collections and the Nazi Era, including provenance research, claims and enquiries. He’s actively working to further our understanding of the history of the collections we look after and the lasting impact of Nazi Era looting on the Museum.

• Email: [email protected]
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