Within the art world, especially museums, the topic of provenance has come to the forefront and has been the source of significant controversy. In part, this is due to the fact that museums in particular can have very dark pasts. Art that was stolen from Jewish owners prior to and during World War Two currently hangs on some of Europe’s most prestigious gallery walls, which has resulted in long, drawn-out court battles to try to return the art to its rightful owners. Artifacts and pieces of antiquity from Greece, Italy, New Zealand, and countless other countries have been stolen and are currently displayed in museums outside of their place of origin. In locating this year’s documenta in both Athens and Kassel, the mega-exhibition places itself in the two of the centers of the provenance debate. For this reason, going into our week in Kassel, I was very curious to see how the issue of provenance of stolen art and whether the topic of repatriating of Greek art would be addressed.

At this year’s documenta, the topic of provenance was both addressed and ignored. One of the most powerful pieces at documenta 14 was Maria Eichhorn’s project the Rose Valland Institute. This project focuses on what Eichhorn labels the Orphaned Property of Europe and acts to research and

document the expropriation of European Jewry by the Nazis. Along with documents and images of stolen objects, Eichhorn has presented a bookshelf filled with books that were unlawfully acquired from Jewish owners. Named after the art historian Rose Valland who conducted extensive research and fought for the repatriation of Nazi-stolen art, the institution is a continuous project where visitors are encouraged to send in any research or knowledge they may have on the stolen property. As can be imagined, this is a very powerful piece to experience. The viewer is not only confronted with the actual documents that describe the thievery of the Nazis but the presence of the physical books is hard to ignore.

Whereas documenta 14 did successfully address the legacy of stolen property and art during the Nazi era, it was surprising that the question of the repatriation of art and antiquities was not discussed. Although this issue has been present for a long time, it recently came to light as the Getty Museum returned antiquities to Italy and Greece as well as the recent demand for the return of the Elgin or Parthenon marbles. As a renewed effort to bring the Parthenon marbles back to Athens has begun, I was curious to see if this question of art and cultural ownership would be addressed. Given that this year’s documenta focused on learning from Athens, it was startling to see that the repatriation of objects, such as the Parthenon marbles, was practically invisible. Antiquities are certainly visible in German museums and so it was strange to see Kassel address one portion of its past while ignoring the role it played in relation to art ownership in Athens.

Unlike stolen property during the Nazi era, the repatriation of antiquities and cultural items is still relatively controversial and there is no majority opinion. While most agree that art and other objects should be returned to the families and heirs of the victims of Nazi greed and theft, there is no consensus regarding objects like the Parthenon marbles. Some have argued that they should be returned and others have said that conditions in the country of origin are not suitable for the preservation of such important artifacts. Given this controversy and lack unanimity, maybe documenta did not feel comfortable taking a stand on this issue? I cannot speak for the thought process of Artistic Director Adam Szymczyk, however, it would have been fascinating to see a major exhibition confront such a relevant, divisive, and controversial issue.