CONFERENCE Art Restitution in Austria FRIDAY MAR 05, 10:00 AM - 01:00 PM |
With the art restitution law of 1998 and the amendment of 2009 respectively the Republic of Austria established the possibility to restitute artworks, which had been looted during the Nazi era and which can be found in federal museums and collections today, to their rightful owners or their descendents. The executed restitutions since 1998 are remarkable by international comparison. Nevertheless, these are little known or are often portrayed unclearly in the media.
The informative meeting aims to inform about the Republic of Austria’s actions and measures. After an overview about looting of art during the Nazi era in Austria (1938-1945) and the art restitution since 1945 there will be a focus on the art restitution law of 1998, on its origins as well as on its amendment in 2009. The experts will inform about the work of the Commission for Provenance Research whose members inspect systematically and consistently the Austrian federal museums and collections and about the Art Restitution Advisory Board and its functions and decisions. The practice of art restitution in Austria will be shown with recent examples.
Christoph Bazil studied law in Vienna and has worked for the Austrian Federal Ministry for Culture since 1994. He was Deputy Head of the Department for Cultural Heritage, before becoming Head of the Department of Restitution in 2008. He is also administrative Co-Chair of the Commission for Provenance Research.
Leonhard Weidinger is a historian and multimedia producer. Since 2005 he has been a member of the Austrian Commission for Provenance Research and oversees the collection of the Austrian Museum for Applied Arts in Vienna (MAK). He was Co-Producer of a video documentary about the concentration camp Steyr-Muenichholz, Co-Editor of the volume "… wesentlich mehr Faelle als angenommen”, which presents the first ten years of the work of the Austrian Commission for Provenance Research, and author of the upcoming book “Schneidern und Sammeln”, a study of the Viennese Rothberger family.
The event is held by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Art and Culture, the Austrian Cultural Forum in New York, and the Jewish Community Vienna.
VENUE
ACFNY
