AAM Guide to Provenance Research

by Nancy H. Yeide, Konstantin Akinsha, Amy L. Walsh

This guide is a comprehensive and authoritative resource for tracing the ownership history of works of art. Focused on cultural property looted by the Nazis and others during WWII, it is divided into three Basic Provenance Research and Principles, Holocaust-Era Provenance Research, and Appendices which include bibliographies of collections, dealer archives, and "red flag names" compiled by the Office of Strategic Services. Includes an index and reproductions of artworks and relevant documents.

Genres: Professional Development, Museums

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Michael (Mike) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Art has always been an interest of mine, and lately I have become more interested in the study of Provenance, which relates to the ownership and authenticity trails of these works. Of late I have become interested in the provenance of religious art that found its way to the US from Mexico during The Cristero War of 1926-1929. During this war the churches in Mexico were shut, many works of art were destroyed, and hence many were hidden and brought to the US for safekeeping. This book, however, is devoted to provenance investigative techniques applied to Europe. The book is really designed for the museum professional that already has the painting in front of him, some sort of records, and generally free access. For starting an investigation from scratch whereby a painting is spotted as being out of place in some venue other than a museum or gallery, this book would not serve for that type of sleuthing. Nevertheless, I would recommend the book for any art lover's personal library.