Provenance Research Project
Provenance Research Project
Objects
An initial search of the Gallery's catalogue revealed 219 paintings and sculptures of European origin which were created before 1946 and acquired from 1933 onwards by the Gallery. More than half of these are objects by British artists, however, and were discarded from the group leaving only those which may have been in continental Europe during the relevant period. Other objects were also discarded from the group as they indicated satisfactory provenance details from 1933 to 1945. Prints and decorative art objects such as ceramics, metalwork and furniture have been omitted due to the problems associated with attempting to distinguish between non-unique objects.
Two listings appear on this website: 'Restituted objects' and 'Objects with incomplete provenance data'. The first includes objects which were taken from their rightful owners during the period of Nazi rule, but were restituted prior to acquisition by the Gallery. The second identifies objects which have gaps in provenance during the period 1933–45.
Restituted objects
Objects with incomplete provenance data
How to read catalogue and provenance data
The objects on these lists will be described using basic data from the Gallery's catalogue. This will usually include:
- the artist's name
- the country the artist is most commonly associated with; birth and death dates
- title and date of object
- medium and support of object (e.g. oil on canvas)
- dimensions (paintings are measured without frame, height followed by width)
- accession number (a unique identification number assigned by the Gallery)
- credit line (how the object came into the possession of the Gallery)
This description is followed by the object's known provenance details.
The provenance details are recorded in reverse, and commence with the date of acquisition by the Queensland Art Gallery and then work back through previous owners in chronological order. Each known period of ownership of an object will be followed by the name of the owner and their city of residence.
Examples of the formats in which this information is likely to appear in these lists are explained below:
| 1928–47 | The object was owned by this party from 1928 to 1947 |
| 1928– |
The object came into the possession of this party in 1928 and was there until an unknown date |
| –1928 | The object came into the possession of this party at an unknown date and was there until 1928 |
| by 1928– | The object was in the possession of this party by 1928 and may have been there at an earlier date |
| –still in 1928 | The object was in the possession of this party in 1928 and may have been there at later date |
| No date/s next to an owner’s name indicates that the precise period of ownership is not known other than that it was between the previous and subsequent owners listed; there may have been additional owners within this period | |
| 25 May 1972 | Indicates the date of a direct sale or an auction (in the case of an auction the lot number of the object, where known, appears in parentheses before the name of the auction house |
| ? | After a date or name indicates uncertainty regarding that element of information |
| Anonymous | Indicates that the owner did not wish to be identified when ownership of the object was transferred to another party and that this confidential information is held by the Gallery but not available for release |
| ( ) | Parentheses around a name denotes an agent, auction house or other intermediary; not a collector |
