| Art historians and museum
curators have always endeavored to determine the identity
of previous owners of works of art. Often, during times
of great social upheaval it is not unusual for gaps
in the history of the ownership of paintings to occur.
The case of World War II is of particular importance
as many works of art were plundered. Not all were returned
to their original owners.
At the Gallery, the ownership history of a number
of works of art is not fully known. As part of its
ongoing provenance research efforts, the National
Gallery of Canada maintains a list of works of art
and digital images of over 100 paintings and sculptures
from its permanent collection that have gaps in their
provenance for the years 1933-1945.
European paintings with incomplete or not fully documented
provenances for the period 1933-1945.
Inclusion on this list indicates that more information
is required to complete our knowledge of the ownership
of these works during the World War II era.
It does not mean that the works are suspect. The
National Gallery of Canada's research project is ongoing;
additional information will be published as it becomes
available.
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