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Spoliation reports

This institution also provides a list of works with incomplete provenance during the period 1933-1945.

MUSEUM OF LONDON

Designated collections

Museum of London
London Wall
LONDON EC2Y 5HN

Contact for enquiries about Holocaust or WWII Spoliation:

Kate Starling, Director of Major Projects 
Tel 020-7814-5702
Fax 020-7600-1058

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF COLLECTION

Collections relating to the history of London from prehistoric times to the present day, including substantial archaeological Social and Working-History collections.

1. OVERALL PLANS

A. Areas which could contain looted items
The area of the collection most likely to contain spoliated items is Paintings, Prints & Drawings.

B. Areas excluded and why
The Museum of London's collections are almost exclusively social history and archaeological items with a strong London provenance, much of the latter having been excavated by the museum itself. The museum does have a fine art collection and a relatively modest decorative arts collection, but these again have been acquired for their strong London connections. A complete catalogue of the museum's easel paintings was published in 1996 and is still available.

C.Target areas and timetable for research
Research into the provenance of the Paintings, Prints & Drawings Collection is currently underway.  The museum will respond to any enquiry about a particular item and will check all new acquisitions as well.

2. METHOD OF RESEARCH 

Identify paintings and drawings with incomplete provenances for the period 1933-45 paying particular attention to works by European artists.  Prints will be excluded from the research as they are multiples and the identification of a specific copy is difficult without strong supporting evidence.

3. INFORMATION ON MAKING GENERAL ENQUIRIES OR ABOUT COLLECTIONS

A. Contact for all enquiries about Holocaust or WWII Spoliation

Kate Starling, Director of Major Projects. Tel 020-7814-5702 Fax 020-7600-1058

B. Details of Published catalogues and how to get access to them

Details of the Museum's paintings collection is available in a published catalogue which states the provenance, where known, of each painting and the year of acquisition.

C. Archives
The Museum of London was formed in 1975 by the merger of the London Museum and the Guildhall Museum. The archives of the London Museum from 1911 to 1975 are public records. They describe the museum and its collections and are accessible as part of the current Museum Archive. The Guildhall Museum was funded by the Corporation of London from the 1820s to 1975 and its administrative papers are held by the Corporation. However, information about the Guildhall Museum collections is accessible as part of the current Museum Archive. Papers about the Museum of London collections are also accessible as part of the current Museum Archive. Access to the Museum Archive is by appointment.

Please contact the Librarian:
Sally Brooks,
Museum of London,
London Wall,
London EC2Y 5HN,
tel. 020 7815 5588
e-mail: sbrooks@museumoflondon.org.uk

D. How to make enquiries about collections
As at A

E. Press office contact
Judith Holmes
Tel 020-7814-5502

F. Address of the Institution
Museum of London
London Wall
LONDON EC2Y 5HN

G. Website
http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk