ANN: The Belgian Art Market 1933-1960: from Institutional Players to Commercial Actors. The Role of Moving Companies and the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium during the Second World War ( Hybrid Event, February 10 2025, 18:15-19:45 CET)

Abstract: Despite extensive studies on the seizure of cultural assets across Europe and significant advancements in understanding the mechanisms of Nazi-art looting under occupation, Belgium’s art market remains underexplored. Therefore the ProvEnhance project seeks to establish a methodological framework for Nazi-era provenance research in Belgium. As a case study, ProvEnhance examines a part of the collection of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium and the correlative art market between pre- and post-war periods through innovative methodologies and archival exploration.
By combining art market studies with provenance research, the project contributes to foundational research, offering new insights into the structures of the Belgian art market as well as actors and objects involved in the art theft and its aftermath.

The lecture will emphasize the synergy of a transnational and dual approach by illustrating the involvement of moving companies in the transportation of seized cultural goods as a specific case example based on the current findings of the two PhD researchers Fenya Almstadt and Eléa De Winter. While presenting their individual ongoing research endeavours, they will shed light on the varying degrees of collaboration by these companies under the German occupation, offering a nuanced perspective on complicity and resistance within this historical framework.
An introduction to the lecture will be provided by Aude Alexandre and Ingrid Goddeeris, the two coordinators of the ProvEnhance project. They will give an overview of the key objectives of the project, retrace antecedents of provenance research in Belgium since WWII and present recent developments in policy, the media and accessibility of sources.

Venue: H 0111 in the main building at TU Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin

The event will be broadcast in parallel via TU Berlin Zoom: tu-berlin.zoom.us/j/63199001038?pwd=vDhGInsisULAesyi2Qu7LImdoc4mRY.1, 
Meeting-ID: 631 9900 1038, Password: 399554. Recording of the event or parts of the event as well as screenshots are not permitted. By participating, you accept these terms of use.

For additional information visit: fokum.org/en/