By Order of the Authorities

Since its new arrangement in October 2020, the room 8 in the Transparent Museum is featuring eight artworks whose history before 1941 is largely unknown.

Under the title »by order of the authorities« – An Auction in the Year 1941 and its Consequences Until Today, the Kunsthalle presents the artworks that were auctioned on 24 September 1941 at the auction house Carl F. Schlüter in Hamburg. 
According to current assessments, these are works which most likely were owned by those persecuted by the Nazi regime and which were lost under unlawful circumstances. Based on dossiers, archival material and a graphic chart illustrating the process of deciphering the characteristics on the back side of a painting, we show you the paths known so far, along with the information we have not yet been able to decipher. Visit us in the Transparent Museum, take a good look and think about what you see – maybe you will come up with a solution?