Conference: Challenges in Provenance Research and Art Restitution

MAR. 26

The event Challenges in Provenance Research and Art Restitution (Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, 30 November–1 December 2026) aims to address recent developments in provenance research, with a focus on restitution practices, histories of dispossession, and the politics of memory.

Emerging in the 1990s in connection with the study of Nazi-era confiscations, provenance research has evolved into a fully-fledged interdisciplinary field, combining art history, legal studies, museum studies, and digital methodologies. Today, it is increasingly shaped by international collaboration and by the use of digital tools that enable the reconstruction of transnational object histories and ownership trajectories.

More recently, the field has expanded to include other contexts of historical injustice, such as colonial appropriation and structural inequalities, prompting new methodological approaches and public debates on cultural heritage and restitution.

The call invites contributions that explore current transformations in the field, comparative perspectives, and future challenges in provenance research and restitution practices.

Deadline for abstract submission: 31 March 2026.