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Provenance in the World War II Era, 1933 - 1945
   Provenance in the World War II Era, 1933-1945       Object Database       Additional Resources   
Explore the History of our Collection Objects

In order to aid in the identification and discovery of misappropriated objects during the World War II Era, the Smithsonian museums are working to identify all objects in their collections that were created before 1946, were acquired after 1932, that underwent a change of ownership during 1933-1945, and that were, or might have been, in continental Europe between those dates ("covered objects"). The Smithsonian Institution is committed to making information on these objects available to the public.

What is Provenance Research?

Provenance is the history of ownership of an artwork and provides important information about the attribution (determination of authorship) of the object.

learn more about provenance research >

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Search the Object Database

Explore all available information on "covered objects" in Smithsonian museum collections.

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Tools for the Researcher

Researching the provenance of works of art is a fundamental aspect of curatorial work, but this research is labor intensive.

view the bibliography >

visit other lost art databases >