T o mark the publication of Emmanuelle Polack’s book, The Art Market Under Occupation, and of the eponymous exhibition at the Mémorial de la Shoah in Paris, Sotheby’s held a conference on Spoliations and the Art Market During Second World War: The Urgent Search for Truth, on 27 June 2019.
Introduced by Cécile Bernard, Managing Director of Sotheby’s France, its main objective was to consider today’s processes with heirs who have experienced looting, and experienced researchers in this area. Testimonies from heirs were essential in this search for the truth. These round tables were hosted by Emmanuelle Polack, author of The art market under Occupation, published by Tallandier, and Doreen Carjaval, founder and president of the association Orphan Art Project, helping heirs in their research. Sotheby’s also presented the exhibition In the Front of the Back, a selection of works by the artist Philippe Gronon.
Watch a video of the conference below:
The full schedule is as follows:
First part: The Art Market Under Occupation: The Inheritance Question
Introduction: François Heilbronn, Vice-President of Memorial de la Shoah
3:15 pm: Historical context and today’s situation by Emmanuelle Polack
3:45 pm: Testimonies from descendants, round table moderated by par Claire Bommelaer (Le Figaro)
Alain Monteagle
René Patrick Gimpel
Pauline de Pérignon
5 pm: Coffee break
Second part: Provenance research: A New Momentum
6.15 pm: Descendants, Researchers’ how to, a practical guide by Doreen Carvajal
6.45 pm: Restitutions, there is hope! Round table moderated by Claire Bommelaer (Le Figaro)
Ines Rotermund-Reynard, Research Project Manager, Register of the art market actors in France under Occupation (INHA, Paris)
David Zivie, head of the mission of research and restitution cultural property looted between 1933 and 1945 at the Ministry of Culture
René Patrick Gimpel
7.15 pm: Conclusions by David Zivie
7.30 pm: Book signing with Emmanuelle Polack
