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Afterlives: Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art

Aug. 20, 2021 – Jan. 9, 2022

This exhibition traces the fascinating timelines of individual objects as they passed through hands and sites before, during, and after World War II, bringing forward their myriad stories.

During World War II, untold numbers of artworks and pieces of cultural property were stolen by Nazi forces. After the war, an estimated one million artworks and 2.5 million books were recovered. Many more were destroyed. This exhibition chronicles the layered stories of the objects that survived, exploring the circumstances of their theft, their post-war rescue, and their afterlives in museums and private collections.

Afterlives includes objects looted from Jewish collections during the war, including works by such renowned artists as Pierre Bonnard, Paul Cézanne, Marc Chagall, Gustave Courbet, Paul Klee, Franz Marc, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Camille Pissarro. The Jewish Museum has also commissioned four contemporary artists to create new works that address the resonance of the exhibition’s themes: Maria Eichhorn, Hadar Gad, Dor Guez, and Lisa Oppenheim. Treasured pieces of Judaica, including rare examples of Jewish ceremonial objects from destroyed synagogues, will also be on view, as well as rarely seen archival photographs and documents that connect the objects to history.

75 years after the Second World War, Afterlives explores how surviving artworks and other precious objects were changed by those events, and how they have moved through time, bearing witness to profound historical ruptures while also acting as enduring carriers of individual expression, knowledge, and creativity. The exhibition follows the paths taken by works of art across national borders, through military depots, and in and out of networks of collectors, looters, ideologues, and restitution organizations.

 

In the Press
“The emotional impact of the exhibition is overwhelming: joy and gratitude at the rescue of so many exquisite artworks; grief at the losses endured by the destroyed Jewish communities of Europe; and finally comfort in the knowledge that their stories do endure.”
— BBC

“A New York show of masterpieces, stolen by the Nazis and then recovered, highlights how people worked to save and repair a shattered culture.”
— Financial Times

“While the work itself is certainly extraordinary (the names Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, Marc Chagall and many others speak for themselves) the stories of how this material made its way from private collections in Europe to the safety of Fifth Avenue in Manhattan are fascinating.”
— The Guardian

“The exhibition at the Jewish Museum is small, but it manages to convey the vastness of what was lost by presenting some of the art that survived.”
— The New Yorker

“But the narrative that propels ‘Afterlives’ is not just about tragedy of the Nazis’ ethnocidal plunder. It’s also about the many artworks and artifacts that survived.”
— The Observer

Afterlives: Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art is organized by Darsie Alexander, Susan and Elihu Rose Chief Curator, and Sam Sackeroff, Lerman-Neubauer Assistant Curator, The Jewish Museum. The exhibition is designed by Daniel Kershaw with graphic design by IN-FO.CO, Adam Michaels. Abigail Rapoport, Curator of Judaica, assisted in selecting ceremonial objects for the exhibition.

Afterlives: Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art is made possible by The Marilyn and Barry Rubenstein Family Foundation, The Wilf Family Foundations, the David Berg Foundation, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, The Joan Toepfer Charitable Trust, Ulrika and Joel Citron, Linda and Ilan Kaufthal, Liz Lange and David Shapiro, Vivian and Daniel Bernstein, The Blavatnik Family Foundation, Nancy and Larry Pantirer Family Foundation, Betty Pantirer Schwartz, The Samuel H. Kress Foundation, Artis, The Lupin Foundation, and the Office of Cultural Affairs | Consulate General of Israel in New York. Additional support is provided by the Centennial Fund, The Skirball Fund for American Jewish Life Exhibitions, and other generous donors. The publication is made possible, in part, by the Dorot Foundation. Media sponsorship provided by The WNET Group.

The Mobile Tour is supported by

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Glass display case with two shelves of open books and manuscripts, some showing Hebrew text, illuminated in a dark teal wall. A variety of historical book covers, pages, and bindings are visible, including a few books standing closed on the right.

Maria Eichhorn, Hannah Arendt: Jewish Cultural Reconstruction Field Reports, Memoranda, Etc., (detail) 2021. Books and periodicals redistributed by Jewish Cultural Reconstruction. © Maria Eichhorn. Photo by Steven Paneccasio

Exhibition highlights

  • Colorful painting of a seated woman with dark curly hair, wearing a blue dress with a yellow shawl, resting her head on one hand. A guitar leans against her in the foreground. The background features bold red, blue, and black patterns with a potted plant on a stand.

    Henri Matisse, Girl in Yellow and Blue with Guitar, 1939, oil on canvas. The Art Institute of Chicago, Brooks McCormick Estate, 2007.290. © Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; image provided by The Art Institute of Chicago / Art Resource, New York.

  • Painting of a village scene with red ground and simplified figures. A man in gray extends a hat toward a woman carrying a dish. In the background are wooden houses and two seated women. A small white animal and swirling blue pattern appear above the rooftops.

    Marc Chagall, Purim, c. 1916-17, oil on canvas. Philadelphia Museum of Art: The Louis E. Stern Collection, 1963, 1963-181-11. © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris.

  • Expressionist painting of four nude female figures in a stylized landscape. One woman reclines in the foreground, while the others stand or lean near trees with angular branches. The background includes dark green foliage, bright yellow trees, and a dramatic, cloud-filled sky.

    Max Pechstein, Landscape (Nudes in a Landscape),1912, oil on canvas. Image provided by CNAC/MNAM, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, New York. Photo by Philippe Migeat.

  • Ornate ceremonial object resembling a crown, featuring an openwork metal lattice design with lions, a crown at the top, Hebrew inscription, and small cups arranged inside on a wooden base.

    Seder Plate, 18th-19th century, brass: cast and engraved; wood: painted and stained; ink on paper; silk: brocade; linen; cotton, gift of the Danzig Jewish Community

  • Pair of ornate silver Torah finials with domed, openwork tops, small bells hanging inside, and decorative spiral handles.

    Torah Finials, Germany, 18th century, silver: repoussé, pierced, cast, and engraved. Jewish Cultural Reconstruction. Photo by John Parnell. This image may not be reproduced without the expressed written consent of The Jewish Museum, New York.

  • Gallery view with framed works on paper featuring blue ink blots and cursive writing on the walls, and four display cases containing small objects and sculptures on light wooden stands.

    Dor Guez, Letters from the Greater Maghreb, 2020.Scanograms, archival inkjet prints. And Belly of the Boat, 2021. Mixed media installation of seven vitrines and objects. Artworks courtesy of the artist and Dvir Gallery, Tel Aviv; Carlier | Gebauer Gallery, Berlin; and Goodman Gallery, Cape Town © Dor Guez. Photo by Steven Paneccasio

  • Gallery view featuring two groups of framed abstract works on paper, each combining sepia-toned cloudy forms with small detailed patterned squares, mounted on white walls.

    Lisa Oppenheim, Stilleben von Rosen und anderen Blumen und Weintrauben, Birnen, Pflaumen, und Pfirsichen (detail), 1942/2021. Ten collages with chromogenic color prints and unique gelatin silver prints. Artworks courtesy of the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York and Los Angeles. © Lisa Oppenheim. Photo by Steven Paneccasio

  • A textured yellow-toned painting depicting a partially ruined interior space with vaulted arches, columns, and scattered debris. The architectural forms are rendered in a delicate, almost ghostly style, evoking a sense of decay and memory.

    Hadar Gad, Polish Landscape 2020, Oil on linen, Artwork courtesy of the artist, ©Hadar Gad

  • Gallery installation view of Afterlives: Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art. Three framed paintings hang on the walls, including a colorful depiction of blue animals at center, flanked by works in ornate gold frames on textured tan walls. Exhibition text is displayed on the central dark teal wall. A recessed display of silver objects is partially visible to the right.

    Installation view of Afterlives: Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art, August 20, 2021-January 9, 2022, the Jewish Museum, NY. Photo by Steven Paneccasio

  • Gallery installation view of Afterlives: Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art. Exhibition text is displayed on a dark teal wall at right, next to a freestanding tan partition holding a framed painting of reclining nudes beneath a tree. In the distance, additional artworks hang on dark teal walls, including a large full-length nude figure at left and two smaller paintings. A bench sits in the middle of the gallery space under bright ceiling track lights.

    Installation view of Afterlives: Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art, August 20, 2021-January 9, 2022, the Jewish Museum, NY. Photo by Steven Paneccasio

  • Gallery installation view showing six framed paintings hung on dark teal walls under spotlights. From left to right: a seated figure with a guitar in vibrant colors, a still life with flowers, a small orange and white figurative scene, a large full-length painting of a nude figure seen from behind, a small abstract line drawing of figures, and a Cubist-style composition with angular shapes. A low bench and platform sit in the center of the minimalist gallery space.

    Installation view of Afterlives: Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art, August 20, 2021-January 9, 2022, the Jewish Museum, NY. Photo by Steven Paneccasio

  • Gallery installation view featuring a large, framed oil painting on the left wall, depicting a biblical or historical scene with multiple figures, including a woman pouring water and an elderly man drinking. The painting is displayed on a dark green wall. To the right, on a burlap-textured wall, are two rows of small framed black-and-white photographs documenting various scenes of people, architecture, and events. The space is minimal, with neutral flooring and ceiling spotlights.

    Installation view of Afterlives: Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art, August 20, 2021-January 9, 2022, the Jewish Museum, NY. Photo by Steven Paneccasio

  • Display case with multiple shelves showcasing a collection of silver Judaica objects, including Torah crowns, finials, breastplates, kiddush cups, spice towers, menorahs, and other ceremonial items. The shelves are built into a dark teal wall. To the left of the display is a small black-and-white photograph, and to the right hangs a framed portrait of a man with a beard and traditional fur hat, dressed in ceremonial robes.

    Installation view of Afterlives: Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art, August 20, 2021-January 9, 2022, the Jewish Museum, NY. Photo by Steven Paneccasio

  • Gallery installation view featuring a group of artworks displayed on freestanding light wood pedestals with clear vitrines, containing small sculptural and artifact-like objects. Behind them, a white wall displays framed works on paper, including ink drawings and prints with abstract and calligraphic blue markings. To the right are two framed, neutral-toned prints and a small sculpture. In the background, another gallery is visible with additional paintings, including a large yellow monochrome painting on the far right and a darker-hued gallery on the left.

    Installation view of Afterlives: Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art, August 20, 2021-January 9, 2022, the Jewish Museum, NY. Photo by Steven Paneccasio

  • Darsie Alexander, Susan and Elihu Rose Chief Curator, and Sam Sackeroff, Lerman-Neubauer Assistant Curator, moderate a live Zoom panel with Rafael Cardoso, Lisa Moses Leff, and Sarah Abrevaya Stein. This program was recorded on Thursday, December 9, 2021. Presented as part of Looting, Loss, and Recovery: A Virtual Symposium held in conjunction with the exhibition “Afterlives: Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art.” Lead benefactor support for

    Darsie Alexander, Susan and Elihu Rose Chief Curator, and Sam Sackeroff, Lerman-Neubauer Assistant Curator, moderate a live Zoom panel with Rafael Cardoso, Lisa Moses Leff, and Sarah Abrevaya Stein. This program was recorded on Thursday, December 9, 2021. Presented as part of Looting, Loss, and Recovery: A Virtual Symposium held in conjunction with the exhibition “Afterlives: Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art.” Lead benefactor support for "Looting, Loss, and Recovery: A Virtual Symposium" is made possible by The David Berg Foundation. Additional support is provided by other generous donors.

  • Co-curators Darsie Alexander and Sam Sackeroff introduce the exhibition, Afterlives: The Lost Stories of Looted Art, its major themes, and the symposium. Premiere date: December 6, 2021. Lead benefactor support for

    Co-curators Darsie Alexander and Sam Sackeroff introduce the exhibition, Afterlives: The Lost Stories of Looted Art, its major themes, and the symposium. Premiere date: December 6, 2021. Lead benefactor support for "Looting, Loss, and Recovery: A Virtual Symposium" is made possible by The David Berg Foundation. Additional support is provided by other generous donors.

  • Professor Timothy Snyder, Richard C. Levin Professor of History, Yale University addresses the economic, legal, and ideological causes of the Holocaust. Premiere date: December 6, 2021. Lead benefactor support for

    Professor Timothy Snyder, Richard C. Levin Professor of History, Yale University addresses the economic, legal, and ideological causes of the Holocaust. Premiere date: December 6, 2021. Lead benefactor support for "Looting, Loss, and Recovery: A Virtual Symposium" is made possible by The David Berg Foundation. Additional support is provided by other generous donors.

  • Dr. Lisa Moses Leff, Director of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Professor of History at American University, examines the organized Jewish efforts to seek restitution for the art, books, religious objects, and other cultural treasures that had been looted by the Nazis during the Holocaust. Premiere date: December 6, 2021. Lead benefactor support for

    Dr. Lisa Moses Leff, Director of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Professor of History at American University, examines the organized Jewish efforts to seek restitution for the art, books, religious objects, and other cultural treasures that had been looted by the Nazis during the Holocaust. Premiere date: December 6, 2021. Lead benefactor support for "Looting, Loss, and Recovery: A Virtual Symposium" is made possible by The David Berg Foundation. Additional support is provided by other generous donors.

  • Dr. Sarah Abrevaya Stein, Sady and Ludwig Kahn Director of the Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies, as well as Professor of History and the Viterbi Family Chair in Mediterranean Jewish Studies at UCLA explores Sephardic experiences of looting, loss, and recovery through the story of a single Jewish family from Salonica [Thessaloniki, Greece] who, at the time of the Second World War, were dispersed across Europe and the globe. Premiere date: December 6, 2021. Lead benefactor support for

    Dr. Sarah Abrevaya Stein, Sady and Ludwig Kahn Director of the Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies, as well as Professor of History and the Viterbi Family Chair in Mediterranean Jewish Studies at UCLA explores Sephardic experiences of looting, loss, and recovery through the story of a single Jewish family from Salonica [Thessaloniki, Greece] who, at the time of the Second World War, were dispersed across Europe and the globe. Premiere date: December 6, 2021. Lead benefactor support for "Looting, Loss, and Recovery: A Virtual Symposium" is made possible by The David Berg Foundation. Additional support is provided by other generous donors.

  • Dr. Rafael Cardoso, Postgraduate Faculty in Art History, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro and research associate, Lateinamerika-Institut, Freie Universität Berlin, familiarizes audiences with the remarkable history of one of the most compelling paintings in the exhibition, the artist Max Pechstein's “Paysage” (1912) whose original owner was Dr. Cardoso's great-grandfather Hugo Simon. Premiere date: December 6, 2021. Lead benefactor support for

    Dr. Rafael Cardoso, Postgraduate Faculty in Art History, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro and research associate, Lateinamerika-Institut, Freie Universität Berlin, familiarizes audiences with the remarkable history of one of the most compelling paintings in the exhibition, the artist Max Pechstein's “Paysage” (1912) whose original owner was Dr. Cardoso's great-grandfather Hugo Simon. Premiere date: December 6, 2021. Lead benefactor support for "Looting, Loss, and Recovery: A Virtual Symposium" is made possible by The David Berg Foundation. Additional support is provided by other generous donors.

Audio

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The Jewish Museum · Afterlives: Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art

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The Jewish Museum · Verbal Descriptions of Afterlives: Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art