Swiss allocate funding for research into cultural artefacts

The Swiss government has provided just under CHF2 million ($2.4 million) in funding for research into the provenance of cultural artefacts from colonial and archaeological contexts, as well as from the field of Nazi-looted art.

The aim is to enable institutions to gain new insights into the provenance of their collections.

Funding for the 26 projects from 2027 to 2028 was awarded following a public call for proposals, the Federal Office of Culture announced on Tuesday. A total of 30 applications were received by the authority. The open call for proposals was also intended to reach out to institutions that have had little experience with genealogical research to date.

In addition to in-depth individual studies, the government also funds projects that lay systematic foundations. These include the cataloguing and digitisation of archives to make them accessible for research. Other projects carry out systematic initial assessments of entire collections.

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Focus on colonial contexts

According to the press release, one focus of the funded projects is on examining collections from colonial contexts. The aim is to lay the groundwork for further investigations and potential dialogues regarding repatriation. Several projects are being carried out in collaboration with partner institutions and communities of origin.

The Natural History Museum in Basel, for example, is investigating the provenance of 189 Indonesian human remains in collaboration with an Indonesian university. A joint project involving nine Swiss museums, including the Museum der Kulturen Basel and the Bern Historical Museum, is researching over 6,300 artefacts from Cameroon.

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Why are human remains from the colonial era stored in Swiss museums?

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At least 4,000 human remains from the colonial era are still held in Swiss museums. A cultural anthropologist explains how this came about.

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Another key area is research into Nazi-looted art, the Federal Office of Culture noted. Several art museums are carrying out projects on works with unclear provenance during the Nazi era. At the Kunstmuseum Basel, for example, the provenance of 336 drawings dating from 1933 to 1945, which may have a problematic provenance, is being investigated in greater depth.

This funding forms part of the 2025–2028 Culture Programme and is based on the Cultural Promotion Act.

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Culture

‘There’s a lot of Nazi-looted art in Switzerland’

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Nov 20, 2014


The author of a book on the Gurlitt collection talks about the “web of deceit and silence” surrounding it plus the legal and moral situation.

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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.