NY Times Raises Provenance Questions About Ronald Lauder's Collection

In an article to be published in tomorrow's NY Times but online now, Robin Pogrebin raises the question of why Ronald Lauder is not more forthcoming in publicizing the Nazi-era provenance of his private collection, much of which is shown at the Neue Galerie, the museum devoted to 20th-century German and Austrian art and design that he founded in New York.

CultureGrrl has previously raised this question, as well as questions about provenance postings of works owned by Lauder's Neue Galerie, here, here, here and here.

Among those quoted by Pogrebin on this issue is attorney E. Randol Schoenberg, who received a financial windfall when Lauder bought Klimt's celebrated "Adele Bloch-Bauer I," which had been restituted to the family of his client, Maria Altmann and then purchased by Lauder for a reported $135 million.

Pogrebin writes:

Mr. Schoenberg said that Ronald Lauder and Neue Galerie should provide more specific provenance information about their holdings. "Since he's at the forefront of asking people to return that kind of property, it would make sense for him to do that," Mr. Schoenberg said. "It would certainly set a good example if he were to make public his collection."

Pogrebin mentions that limited provenance information is provided on the Neue Galerie's website for works that it owns (as distinguished from the many works displayed at the museum that are privately owned by Lauder). But if you have a high tolerance for frustration, go ahead to the museum's website and try to get to the provenance information. I just did, and found that the search is exasperating and, for the most part, unavailing. It used to work, sort of, through an eight-step process that I had described here.

On a more pleasant note, I really enjoyed today's press preview of the museum's Klimt show, to June 30, with its amazingly broad and deep array of the artist's drawings. But this Klimt show, starring John Malkovich, might be more fun!