Press releases

Thu 13.02., 19.00
Art protection and art acquisitions under National Socialism and during the Second World War - The example of the Aachen Suermondt Museum and its director Felix Kuetgens
Lecture by Dr. Elisabeth Furtwängler, Berlin

Moderation: Dr. René Rohrkamp, Director of the Aachen City Archive
Admission free, no registration required

Felix Kuetgens (1890-1976) was in charge of the Suermondt Museum from 1923 to 1955. During his tenure, a large number of works of art entered the museum's collections, partly in the form of donations and partly through purchases - the latter mostly on the regional and local art market. Stationed in occupied France during the war as a representative of military art protection, Kuetgens was responsible, among other things, for controlling the art market and preventing the excessive export of cultural assets. Nevertheless, he used his position in Paris to make purchases for the Aachen collections and to support his colleagues from other German museums in handling their acquisitions. It remains to be clarified to what extent he was also involved in the machinations of what the Allies called the "Rhineland Gang" around the National Socialist head of cultural affairs Hans-Joachim Apffelstaedt, who wanted to locate and reclaim cultural property in the occupied western territories that was considered "Rhineland". The lecture will take a closer look at the ambivalent (acquisition) activities of the Aachen museum director.

Dr. Elisabeth Furtwängler works as a freelance art historian and provenance researcher for various museums and institutions, including the Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin and the Museum Folkwang Essen. After working in the art trade, she worked as a research assistant at the University of Leipzig and completed her doctorate on artistic prints in post-war Paris. As co-director of a Franco-German cooperation project, the "Repertorium der Akteure auf dem französischen Kunstmarkt während der deutschen Besatzung, 1940 - 1945" (TU Berlin/INHA Paris), she primarily investigated the acquisition activities of German museums in occupied France and, together with Mattes Lammert, published the anthology "Kunst und Profit. Museums and the French Art Market in the Second World War".

A few years ago, the Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum staged a highly acclaimed exhibition entitled "Schattengalerie" (Shadow Gallery) to address the considerable wartime losses of the Aachen collection, some of which are still preserved in the parts of Ukraine that have since been annexed by Russia. The museum is now endeavouring to systematically investigate the provenance of paintings and sculptures in its own collection for possible Nazi-related acquisitions and donations in order to reach an agreement with the rightful owners and acknowledge historical injustice. This initiative coincides with the current amendment to German restitution practice, which now provides for binding arbitration for all parties involved instead of an advisory commission. Reason enough for the Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum to hold a series of public lectures on the complex issue of looted art and at the same time gain new insights into the history of its own museum.