Nazi Era

The Museum of Art and Archaeology does not hold any objects in its collections which we believe to have been improperly alienated from that object’s rightful owners during the Nazi era. Recognizing the importance of this issue, however, and in order to help individuals seeking lost objects, we have voluntarily listed all works in our collection which were produced before 1946, acquired after 1932, and which changed hands in Central Europe during the Nazi era (1933-1945) in a central information registry meeting the standards established by the Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States and the Association of Art Museum Directors. This registry, the Nazi Era Provenance Internet Portal (NEPIP) is available online at http://www.nepip.org/.

We have additionally provided registration details for each of the 49 objects in the museums holdings which meet the broad criteria outlined above, including all available information outlined in the American Association of Museums Recommended Procedures for Providing Information to the Public about Objects Transferred in Europe During the Nazi Era. These data are provided as Adobe Acrobat PDF attachments to the NEPIP entries.

The Museum of Art and Archaeology is committed to continually identifying and implementing the highest ethical standards of museum practice. We welcome researchers studying provenance and related issues. Please see our Information for Visiting Researchers.

The Museum also supports the AAM’s acquisitions guidelines regarding material which is or might reasonably be thought to be looted or stolen during the Nazi era.

Cultural Property Issues

The Museum of Art and Archaeology will not knowingly acquire unprovenanced antiquities or objects likely to encourage the illicit trade in antiquities.

“Acquisitions of antiquities require documentation that the object was in the United States or had left its country of origin by November 17, 1970, the date on which the UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property was signed.”