MUNICH.- Since 5 September 2022, the information on the provenance (origin) of objects acquired by the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen during the Nazi era and objects that were taken on by the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen after World War II from the expropriated assets of NSDAP functionaries and organizations has been online. By putting the so-called provenance chains (sequence of owners) online, the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen are meeting the demand for transparency in provenance research in accordance with the "Washington Principles" of 1998 and the subsequent "Joint Declaration" of 1999.

Since 2018, the Provenance Research team has been preparing to put the information online at www.sammlung.pinakothek.de. All relevant provenance information was documented in a module tailored to the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen in the database (used internally for work purposes). Priority was given to acquisitions made during the years 1933-1945 and objects that were taken on by the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen after World War II from the expropriated assets of NSDAP functionaries and organizations.

Provenance data is based on systematic initial checks during which – depending on the holdings – sources such as literature, purchase records, picture files, databases and documents from the Central Collecting Point are evaluated, as well as the reverse side of pictures, as appropriate. This work is being carried out in accordance with the guidelines for the standardization of provenance data provided by the Arbeitskreis Provenienzforschung e.V.

The provenance chains generated in this way for around 1,200 works of art from the two groups of works mentioned above have been available online since 5 September 2022. Under the keyword "Provenance," all known owners, periods of ownership, and the type of acquisition are noted there.

Through the continuous investigations being made and the new information sources tapped, provenance research is a dynamic discipline. Provenance data is updated as quickly as possible when new sources or findings on works published online become known.

In a next step, the provenance chains of objects from the group of works "Classical Modernism" will be successively put online starting in 2023, followed by the project "Acquisitions after 1945".