The Stiftung Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin is reviewing its collection for objects related to Nazi-looted art, injustices committed by the GDR, or colonial contexts.
What is Provenance Research?
Provenance research examines the origin and history of works of art and other collection items in archives, libraries, and museums. It seeks to trace the path of these objects from their creation to their current location.
Particular attention is given to objects that were unjustly taken from their former owners. The focus is on items that were stolen from victims of Nazi persecution or that these victims were forced to sell. In addition, research is conducted into injustices related to the GDR and colonialism.
Provenance Research at the Deutsches Technikmuseum
As one of the first museums of the history of technology in Germany, the Deutsches Technikmuseum began having its collection of historic motor vehicles examined in 2017. The goal was to investigate whether any of the vehicles had been seized from their previous owners — who were persecuted as Jews — during the Nazi era. The provenance of 92 vehicles could not be fully determined. They were entered into the public database Lost Art so that descendants of the previous owners or researchers can contact the museum.
The foundations for provenance research on technical cultural heritage were laid from 2019 to 2020 as part of a pilot project funded by the German Center for Lost Cultural Property. The project investigated how provenance research can be successfully conducted given the unique characteristics of technical collections. It became apparent that only a few objects bear individual characteristics of their previous owners, and that the examination of provenance must rely on information regarding their origin, such as addresses and the history of the companies that owned them.
From 2020 to 2025, acquisitions made between the museum’s founding in 1982 and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 were examined for items confiscated during the Nazi era. This project was funded by the German Center for Lost Cultural Property.
Since December 2025, another research project funded by the German Center for Lost Cultural Property has been examining the museum’s acquisitions from the GDR. The research focuses on the dealers, intermediaries, and their networks.
Three provenance researchers are examining the collections at the Deutsches Technikmuseum for objects linked to Nazi-looted art, injustices committed by the GDR, or colonial contexts.