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Art historians and museum curators have always endeavored to determine the identity of previous owners of works of art. Often, during times of great social upheaval it is not unusual for gaps in the history of the ownership of paintings to occur. The case of World War II is of particular importance as many works of art were plundered. Not all were returned to their original owners.At the Gallery, the ownership history of a number of works of art is not fully known. As part of its ongoing provenance research efforts, the National Gallery of Canada maintains a list of works of art and digital images of over 100 paintings and sculptures from its permanent collection that have gaps in their provenance for the years 19331945.European paintings with incomplete or not fully documented provenances for the period 19331945.Inclusion on this list indicates that more information is required to complete our knowledge of the ownership of these works during the World War II era.It does not mean that the works are suspect. The National Gallery of Canadas research project is ongoing; additional information will be published as it becomes available.

 

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