Provenance research into the Gottfried Keller Foundation Collection
Provenance research is an important duty for all museums and collections. It involves finding out where the works come from, to whom they used to belong and the circumstances behind their inclusion in a collection. Provenance research helps to shed light on historical interconnections and to trace the past of objects up to the present day.
There is a particular question mark over those cultural goods acquired in problematic historical contexts. These include in particular works added to the collections during the Nazi period. The aim of provenance research is to identify and categorise these artworks as well as clearly signalling their existence.
The Swiss Federal Art Collections Department carries out this task for the Swiss Federal Art Collection and Gottfried Keller Foundation Collection. It performs this task as part of a comprehensive strategy devised by the Federal Office of Culture and in close collaboration with the other Swiss federal museums. Provenance research is now firmly established within the operations of Swiss federal museums and integral to their mandate.
Previous work
Provenance research began at the federal level in 1998 with a comprehensive report on the Swiss Confederation’s museums and collections. The provenance research for the Swiss Federal Art Collections was deepened and updated in 2020. The results of this work have been published and form an important basis for further research.
Current work
Provenance research is an ongoing process. New archives and sources become available, current information is reassessed and questions are refined further. The results of other research projects are also relevant. Previous findings about the Swiss Federal Art Collections are currently being reviewed and updated accordingly. A new status report is scheduled for the end of 2026.
Opportunities for archiving and research
The Swiss Federal Art Collections Department manages the archives of the Swiss Federal Art Collection and Gottfried Keller Foundation Collection. They contain committee minutes, inventories and documents on the preservation of the items as well as correspondence, publications and reports on individual holdings. The archives are also made accessible to external researchers within the scope of the statutory provisions. Please contact the Swiss Federal Art Collections if you require further information.
Documents:
Kulturgüter im Eigentum der Eidgenossenschaft: Untersuchung zum Zeitraum 1933 bis 1945. Bericht der Arbeitsgruppe des Bundesamtes für Kultur, August 1998
(cultural goods owned by the Swiss Confederation: examination of the period from 1933 to 1945. Report by the working group of the Federal Office of Culture, August 1998)
Kulturgüter im Eigentum der Eidgenossenschaft: Untersuchung zum Zeitraum 1933 bis 1945. Teil 2. Dezember 2020
(cultural goods owned by the Swiss Confederation: examination of the period from 1933-1945. Part 2 December 2020)
