The show entitled “RECOLLECTING” presents art and everyday objects from Jewish possession and their history between
robbery and restitution. Especially for the exhibition, new artworks were created which put this issue of controversial topicality
in a present-day perspective.
The significance that restitution has for the heirs is linked with questions of cultural identity, history policy, individual
recollection and the collective memory.
The show also casts light on exemplary aspects of the Nazi bureaucracy and its continuities in the Austrian restitution policy
after 1945 as well as an on the present-day practice of provenance research and active search for heirs as is currently being
conduced by a number of Austrian museums and institutions.
The exhibition features both restituted objects and pieces whose rightful owners are still being searched. The about 100 loans
come from private possession in Austria, Great Britain, Switzerland, and the USA as well as from museums and institutions
in Austria and abroad and comprise pieces from former collections of paintings and porcelain, but also everyday items such
as furniture, books, photographs, and even a car.
At the same time, 14 art projects informed by the restitution cases represented in the show will reflect subjects such as
the Nazi bureaucracy of robbery, collection and family histories, and the present-day awareness of restitution.
Artists participating: Carola Dertnig, Ines Doujak, Arnold Dreyblatt, Maria Eichhorn, Vera Frenkel, Rainer Ganahl, Klub Zwei, Michaela Melián, Christian
Philipp Müller, Lisl Ponger, Silke Schatz, Till Velten, Arye Wachsmuth/Sophie Lillie.
The MAK particularly qualifies as the venue of this exhibition since even before the Art Restitution Act was passed in 1998
the museum actively addressed the problem of unrightfully acquired and inventoried items in its collections and their restitution.
Moreover, the MAK also hosted the 1996 “Mauerbach Benefit Sale” organized by the London-based auction house Christie’s
on behalf of the Federal Association of Jewish Communities of Austria, and thus the museum took a clear political stance early
on.
An Exhibition by UNLIMITED in cooperation with MAK.
Guest Curator Alexandra Reininghaus
Catalogue "RECOLLECTING. Looted Art and Restitution.", edited by Alexandrea Reininghaus, with contributions by Aleida Assmann, Ilsebill Barta, Eva Blimlinger, Constantin Goschler,
Maren Gröning, Herbert Haupt, Anja Heuß, Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek, Nicole Immler, Christian Klösch, Christina Köstner, Sophie
Lillie, Monika Mayer, Peter Noever, Alfred Noll, Ruth Pleyer, Herbert Posch, Jan Björn Potthast, Jacques Rancière, Alexandra
Reininghaus, Birgit Schwarz, Niko Wahl/Mirjam Triendl, Leonhard Weidinger, Harald Welzer, Margot Werner, Christian Witt-Dörring,
Michael Wladika, Ruth Wodak/Rudolf de Cillia and Luisa Ziaja. German, Passagen Verlag, Vienna.
