Sources in the Federal Archives and the SAPMO in the Federal Archives

• DL 210 Betriebe des Bereichs Kommerzielle Koordinierung – Kunst und Antiquitäten GmbH

Holding DL 210 is the Federal Archives’ central GDR archive holding for provenance research on cultural property, as it is the only place where shipping documents relating to the trade in art objects are preserved on a large scale. Between 1973 and 1989, the export of art, antiques, bric-a-brac, and second-hand goods of all kinds from the GDR was handled by Kunst und Antiquitäten GmbH (KuA), which was part of the network of companies under Alexander Schalck-Golodkowski‘s Commercial Coordination Department.

KuA was a wholesaler that took goods primarily from state owned supplying companies and sold them almost exclusively to large dealers abroad. This means that the KuA records only document part of the supply chain. As a rule, the records consist of shipping documents, i.e. the files do not contain any condensed information on the sales channels of individual works of art, as is usually found in art trade archives.

The names of previous private owners/sellers appear in the KuA files only in the case of sales to the purchasers Ebermann, Hilpert and Brachhaus (purchase receipts), in the case of commission transactions and so-called car exchange contracts, and in the case of tax proceedings. End users are named on the so-called “shop invoices” (export receipts for purchases made in the KuA’s antique shops in Mühlenbeck and various hard currency hotels). GDR museums also acted as direct suppliers, and West German and West Berlin museums as direct buyers.

Among the vast number of items exported by the KuA, high-quality works of art and antiques constituted a clear minority. In the archival description of the files, groups of goods were listed, including as many high-value items as possible, along with all details describing the artworks, mentioned in the files (often only titles) and values. It should be noted that it was not possible to record all the higher-value items in the archival descriptions. Image titles used by KuA were not stable, but apparently staff frequently created new titels when descriptions were needed in the sales process. For example, a chestnut still life by Adrian Coorte appears in the KuA documents as “Still Life”, as “Fruit” and as “Still Life with Nuts”. Searching the artist’s name may be a good place to begin research here.

In contrast, the “sticker numbers” were an unchanging identifying feature for storage and accounting purposes. These coded the context of acquisition (e.g. tax proceedings, delivery from specific suppliers or purchasers, origin from evidence storage facilities), the year of acquisition and a serial number. In many cases, they are noted on the handwritten copies of the shipping documents in the KuA records. These codes were changed repeatedly. In early 1987, for example, the coding scheme for acquisitions from tax proceedings was, so that an item coded “VII/87/142” now became “G 7/7/142” or “G0770000142”. There also existed varying sticker numbers for tax proceedings outside the coding schemes. Forms prescribed in organisational instructions were not always used. It has not yet been possible to resolve all the sticker numbers used by KuA.

• Notes on breaking down the “sticker numbers” assigned by Kunst und Antiquitäten GmbH in the holding DL 210 (PDF, 4.74 MB, Datei ist nicht barrierefrei ⁄ barrierearm).

All KuA documents handed over to the Federal Archives have been permanently retained. Nevertheless, it can be assumed that the KuA files are not complete. There are gaps, for example, in an alphabetical collection of goods receipt lists from tax proceedings, comprising several folders. To facilitate online searches of the holdings, the names of individuals were not included in invenio’s archival descriptions notes. The Federal Archives maintains an auxiliary list of names to assist in locating files on specific tax proceedings. If you are interested in conducting such a search, please contact the relevant person at the Berlin-Lichterfelde location. Additional auxiliary lists with the names of suppliers in the GDR and customers in the Federal Republic of Germany and abroad are included in this finding aid document: Findbucheinleitung der Kunst und Antiquitäten GmbH (PDF, 1.82 MB, Datei ist nicht barrierefrei ⁄ barrierearm). These lists were created during the inventory process and may be incomplete.

• A selection of relevant archival material from the holding DL 210, Betriebe des Bereichs Kommerzielle Koordinierung, is available here.

• DN 1 Ministeriums der Finanzen – Tresorverwaltung

The Vault Administration of the Ministry of Finance is part of the DN 1 holding. In addition to its main task of exploiting precious metal items that had become state property, the Vault Administration also exploited other “treasures” found in the vaults of dissolved banks, or originating from heirless estates or the belongings left behind by refugees who left the GDR, especially in the 1950s. Corresponding groups of goods (e.g. paintings, autographs, carpets, porcelain) are mentioned in invenio in the “archival description notes”; well-described individual items were also recorded separately. Overall, the majority of items taken over include jewellery and silverware of relatively low value. Since the Vault Administration sold off the precious metal items from the collections confiscated in tax proceedings, this is where clues to their whereabouts are most likely to be found. There are also numerous references to valuables left in the GDR by refugees who left the country.

For research options, see Findbucheinleitung der Kunst und Antiquitäten GmbH (PDF, 1.82 MB, Datei ist nicht barrierefrei ⁄ barrierearm).

• DR 144 Staatlicher Kunsthandel der DDR

The Staatlicher Kunsthandel (SKH) existed from 1955 to 1991 under changing company names 

(From 1955 to 1962 as Staatlicher Kunsthandel, from 1962 to 1967 as VEH Moderne Kunst, from 1967 to 1974 as VEH Antiquitäten, from 1974 to 1990 as VEH Bildende Kunst und Antiquitäten, and from 1990 to 1991 as Art Union GmbH). Its activities focused on domestic trade in fine art, antiques, coins and stamps in the GDR. In the field of fine art, the emphasis was on graphic art, handicrafts and small sculptures. SKH was also involved in the export of antiques and fine art.

The company’s records (holdings DR 144) relevant to provenance research mainly comprise accounting documents relating to the purchases and sales of art galleries from 1988 to 1991, as well as invoicing documents since the early 1980s fom the International Relations department responsible for exports. The export documents, which also mention paintings and sculptures by important contemporary artists of the GDR, are particularly useful for provenance research. Since the SKH’s exports were handled by the KuA, a parallel collection can also be found here. The SKH also supplied antiques for export to the KuA. Sticker numbers can most likely be used to identify these on the handwritten KuA delivery notes. Codes beginning with KH probably refer to the Staatlicher Kunsthandel or individual branches thereof, e.g. KH/E for Staatl. Kunsthandel Erfurt (State Art Trade Erfurt).

Because the art works listed here are generally low in value, especially in domestic trade, the mention of individual items was largely omitted in archival descriptions. Instead, an attempt was made to include the names of the artists as completely as possible. In many cases, several documents per artist are preserved in a file. Further information can be found in this finding aid document: Findbucheinleitung zum Bestand Staatlicher Kunsthandel (PDF, 823 KB, Datei ist nicht barrierefrei ⁄

• DR 136 Kommission des Ministeriums für Kultur zum Schutz des Kulturgutes (Kulturgutschutzkommission)

The DR 136 holding mainly contains files on the protection of cultural property in collections, particularly valuable individual items, the restitution of such items from abroad, and the question of exporting private collections and personal paper collections. Certain controversial works of art are sometimes mentioned in the archival descriptions in invenio. The files have been indexed by the owners’ or heirs’ names.

Due to the amount of personal data contained in the files, the collection is blocked for research in invenio. Access for research purposes is possible upon request.

• DY 30 Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands (SED)

As the ruling party, the SED dominated political, economic and cultural life in the GDR. It therefore stands to reason that documents relating to the confiscation of or trade in art and cultural property would also be found here. However, according to current findings, only a few isolated cases have been preserved at the central level in the Foundation Archive of the Parties and Mass Organisations of the GDR in the Federal Archives (SAPMO); a coherent set of files on the confiscation and relocation of cultural property could not be identified.

The Zentralkomitee (ZK) (Central Committee) of the SED maintained its own departments, which mirrored and supervised the state ministries. In addition, there were the personal offices of various top-level officials and Politburo members, which documented their areas of responsibility. The following finding aids within the SED holdings DY 30 offer the most promising results for provenance research: Abteilung Kultur im ZK der SED (cultural property protection, cultural relations with foreign countries, including the return of cultural property, and state art trade), as well as the departments responsible for culture, among other things -> Büro Kurt Hager im ZK der SED and -> Büro Egon Krenz im ZK der SED.

In addition, there is the -> Westabteilung des ZK der SED, which was responsible for contacts with West Germany, and the -> Büro Mittag im ZK der SED , which was responsible for economic issues (holding DY 3023).

The archival description for all departments and offices can be searched in invenio, and individual digitized files can also be viewed there. The majority of digitized SED documents are currently available via the ARGUS search application.

• DY 34 Bundesvorstand des Freien Deutschen Gewerkschaftsbundes (FDGB)

The largest mass organisation in the GDR was the Freier Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (FDGB), which not only assumed several state tasks, but also possessed considerable assets, including numerous holiday facilities and educational institutions.

The documents from its central level are held in the Foundation Archive of the Parties and Mass Organisations of the GDR in the Federal Archives (SAPMO). References to works of art can be found particularly in the Culture Department’s documents (e.g., commissioned works of art and art competitions) and in asset management (e.g., inventory lists). The FDGB’s art holdings received special attention during the FDGB’s liquidation after 1990, so extensive inventory records and lists can be found among the files used or created during the liquidation process.

The files are described in a finding aid and can be searched via invenio, but individual objects or items are not usually named.

Other mass organisations in the GDR, such as die Freie Deutsche Jugend (Free German Youth) (DY 24), der Kulturbund der DDR (Cultural Association of the GDR) (DY 27) or die Gewerkschaft Kunst (union for the arts) (DY 43), may also be useful for provenance research. However, they are likely only to contain very isolated relevant material.

The tax proceedings against antique dealers and collectors are also reflected in investigation files. The Federal Archives primarily holds documents in the DN 1 holding – Ministry of Finance of the GDR (tax investigation) – as well as individual files in the DO 1 holding – Ministry of the Interior- and the DP 3 holding – Chief Public Prosecutor of the GDR. However, these files only occasionally contain lists of confiscated items. 
In addition, the files of the law enforcement authorities contain isolated references to thefts of art objects from churches and museums.

Other GDR archive holdings of the Federal Archives, particularly in the areas of culture, finance, trade, customs, internal affairs and justice, may also contain references to individual works of art. On the one hand, this concerns valuable and well-known works of art, whose ownership history is, however, mostly clear; on the other hand, it concerns more generally the handling of collections of works, such as artists' estates or collections belonging to owners who, for various reasons, came into conflict with the GDR legal system (e.g. land reform, fleeing the GDR, resettlement in the West, tax proceedings).

When researching cultural property in these collections, it is important to bear in mind the following:

• ministerial files with dense content may contain more topics and individual aspects than the mostly “superficial” indexing would suggest.
• ministerial records predominantly depict events from a bird’s eye view, i.e. mostly overview reports. Information on individual cases and individual works of art is rarely recorded.
• some parts of the holdings have not yet been fully processed.
• provenance research on cultural property has only been taken into account in the archival description of files for a few years, which means that relevant references are usually missing from the finding aids.

The Federal Archives holds documentary and feature films that address cultural property, as well as feature films that are themselves cultural property.

German Democratic Republic

• Der Augenzeuge (original title)Week 16, production year: 1955
  Country: German Democratic Republic (1949-1990) Filmwerk ID 49997
  Secondary subject: the return of 750 paintings

• Wertvolles Kulturgut (original title)production year: 1958
  Country: German Democratic Republic (1949-1990) Filmwerk ID 48540
  GDR govt. delegation in Moscow. Handing over to the GDR valuable artwork from former German galleries (DEFA-Dok.Filmografie 1946-64, S. 129)

• Fünf Tage - fünf Nächte (original title) production year: 1960
  Country: German Democratic Republic (1949-1990); Produced by DEFA-Studio_für_Spielfilme_Mosfilm_Moskau, Filmwerk ID 7350
  Soviet soldiers ask the painter Paul Nauman to lead them to the famous art gallery. The high command of the Soviet forces marching into Dresden had given the order to locate the world-famous paintings and save them from destruction. The Nazis had stored some of the paintings in an old mine shaft and mined the entrance.

• KÄUZCHENKUHLE (original title)production year: 1968
  Country: German Democratic Republic (1949-1990); Produced by DEFA-Studio_für_Spielfilme_KAG_Jugend-_und_Kinderfilm, Filmwerk ID 7883
  Kohlweis, a former SS officer, hid a box of looted art in nearby Mummelsee at the end of the Second World War. Jampoll’s grandfather discovered this, retrieved the box with Gotthold, who was deaf and dumb, and hid it in the Käuzchenkuhle, which the villagers believed was haunted by ghosts.

• DDR-Magazin (original title) Nr. 25production year: 1971
  Country: German Democratic Republic (1949-1990) Filmwerk ID 49759
  Displays paintings and drawings by Lucas Cranach, including in the Gemäldegalerie in Dresden, the Lutherhalle, the Melanchthonhaus and the Cranachhaus in Wittenberg.