“Between Custody and Circulation: Collecting Practices across the Adriatic (1815-1945)” is an evening lecture series organized by the working group Italy of the Arbeitskreis Provenienzforschung e.V. (online, 21 May-02 July 2026).
This year’s online lecture series will focus on the dynamics of conservation and circulation of cultural heritage in the Adriatic region, precisely in Venice and in Yugoslavia. Spanning a broad chronological arc (from 1815 to 1941), the lectures will investigate the formation and dispersal of public and private art collections across local and transnational contexts, networks, and institutions.
About the hosts: In November 2022, the Working group Italy was founded within the Arbeitskreis Provenienzforschung e.V. with the aim of fostering research on the provenance of cultural objects unlawfully seized during the Nazi-Fascist era and colonialism in Italy. The working group is intended as a central forum for Italian-specific provenance research and as an international network to promote the exchange of knowledge and to establish both scholarly and practice-oriented collaborations, particularly between Italy and Germany.
The evening lecture by Jelena Todorović (University of the Arts in Belgrade) “The Five Sleepers: Forgotten French Baroque Landscapes in the State Art Collection in Belgrade” takes place on July 2, 2026, 6:15 pm CET, online. It will be moderated by Matilde Cartolari (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität/Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte, Munich).
Link to join the online event: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83418283383?pwd=GMqrypwqY2eZs68u7C88NpRQMvY9cY.1#success
Contact: https://www.arbeitskreis-provenienzforschung.org/arbeitsgruppen/ag-italien/