BlogBack: Max Hollein on the Städel Museum’s Nazi-Era History

The Städel Museum, Frankfurt
Photo: Norbert Miguletz

Max Hollein, director of the Städel Museum, Frankfurt, responds to Städel Museum's Expansion, Nazi-Era History:

I understand that you might have gotten the impression of my being too hesitant answering your question about "What's next?" during our discussion about the research on the Städel's history during the Nazi era. However, just to clarify, there are obviously two aspects of this whole issue (which naturally are intertwined). One is the question of provenance research and restitution: The Städel has actually been one of the first, if not the first, museum in Germany to do this on a broad basis and has restituted several works throughout that process (and will continue to do so). In the book [Museum in Conflict: The Städel and National Socialism], there is as an appendix with a list of recent restitutions that took place from the Städel's collection.

Nevertheless, the research and the publication about the history of the Städel as an institution during the Nazi era is geared to and focused on something else. This is (and was) not mainly about the history of acquisitions but about the history of the institution itself---its politics, the actions taken (or not taken) by its staff and its activity before, during and after this particular time. I believe that this study (which has been carried out by researchers from the outside) is a (much applauded) model in regard to how to deal with this topic within the German institutional scene. The results are---as expected---ambiguous and the actions to be taken based on this research are not so direct as is the case with provenance research (and subsequent restitution).

Compared to the outcome of provenance research, it is a more intellectual question about how you deal with your findings on your own history and what conclusion you are taking based on thorough documentation and research of this time. Which makes the answer of the question "What's next?" less clearcut and more multifaceted. Our goal as an institution was first and foremost to be very open and as objective as possible about it and now, second, to have this era of our institution no longer eliminated from being reflected in our institutional history, in our collection display, etc. You will be able to see some results that stem from that in both our new presentation, when we reopen our modern collection in mid-November, and in the collection catalogues that will be published for that occasion.

The main point, however, is certainly awareness and showing an exemplary way on how to deal with laying out a museum's history during that particular time.

Here is the Städel's webpage listing works in its collection with incomplete Nazi-era provenances.