Pietà

not inscribed

verso des von vorn aus rechten Engels Hakenkreuz in den Stein eingeritzt

1952

C – The provenance from 1933 to 1945 has not been conclusively clarified; gaps in the ownership history remain. According to current research, there is no evidence of Nazi-looted art. There are, however, implications of Nazi-looted art and / or conspicuous circumstances.

The limestone Pietà came to the Kunsthaus Zürich in 1952 via Max Kaganovitch in Paris. The artist, art dealer and collector, Kaganovitch was originally from Lithuania and of Jewish origin. In 1942, he, his wife Rosy and their two daughters fled to Switzerland. He returned to France in 1945. However, the previous owner has not been identified. In any event, a swastika has been scratched into the back of the stone sculpture. This suggests that it may have changed hands during the Nazi period, and can thus be interpreted as an indication that it was confiscated as a result of Nazi persecution. As the research currently stands, it is not possible to state conclusively whether the work constitutes Nazi-looted art. At present, all the known sources have been exhausted. State of research 30.09.2024 Do you have questions, criticism, suggestions, and further information? Please send us a message to provenienzforschung(at)kunsthaus.ch.

- Kunsthaus Zürich. Gesamtkatalog der Gemälde und Skulpturen, hrsg. von Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft et al., Sammlungskatalog, Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2007, S. 22.