Austrian Federal Chancellery (01/04/2010)

Provenance researchers Sonja Niederacher and Michael Wladika submitted their first report on the findings of their investigation of the Leopold Museum Private Foundation to the Ministry of Culture and to the Foundation on December 22, 2009. Independent provenance research was established in May of 2009 on the basis of an agreement by the Federal Ministry of Education, Art and Culture with the Leopold Museum Private Foundation.

Research was conducted in line with a schedule developed by the provenance researchers regarding works included in former collections of Duschinsky, Eisler, Lanzi, Mazländer, Morgenstern, Neumann, Popper, Reichl, Rieger, Steiner and Stemmer. As far as the Brünbaum Collection is concerned, the researchers are continuing to complete their investigation. The report will be presented in spring.

Minister Claudia Schmied thanked the two researchers for their work which will provide a reliable historical basis for decision making. Both the Ministry of Culture and the Foundation are examining the documents submitted to them and plan to publish them in January.

Another measure taken by Minister Schmied in response to the findings of the inter-ministerial working group was to establish a panel of renowned, independent personalities who will examine the legal implications of the report based on the standards applied to the Federal museums. The inaugural meeting of the panel has been scheduled for the second half of January. The Leopold Museum Private Foundation was invited to participate in the panel.