The Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG) welcomes the final report by Raphael Gross on the Bührle Collection and supports its recommendations. The SIG has long called for transparency and a thorough reappraisal of the history of the Bührle art collection, and this report affirms those demands.
Raphael Gross presented his final report on the Bührle Collection. In March 2023, he was commissioned by the City and Canton of Zurich and the Zurich Art Society to independently review the provenance research conducted on the Emil Bührle collection. This review was mandated as part of a new subsidy agreement with the City of Zurich in 2022. Gross and his research team concluded that the provenance research carried out by the Bührle Foundation on its permanent loan to the Kunsthaus Zürich does not meet the required standards, indicating a significant need for further research. The SIG’s call for transparency and a thorough investigation, especially regarding works previously owned by Jews, is thus confirmed.
Gross’ report highlights the connection between the origin of Emil Bührle’s wealth, which largely came from arms sales to Nazi Germany, and the origin of his art collection. Bührle also profited from forced labor in Nazi concentration camps and from forced labor in “welfare” Swiss institutions. This broader historical context is crucial as it raises moral questions about how the collection should be handled in a public museum today. The SIG acknowledges the exceptional work of Raphael Gross and his team and fully supports the recommendations in the report to the Zurich Art Society.
The independent review examined 205 works on permanent loan to the Kunsthaus Zürich since 2021 under the name “Emil Bührle Collection,” based on the provenance research published by the EG Bührle Collection Foundation. Gross’s report is particularly notable for revealing a high number of works with Jewish previous ownership that had not been identified in the Bührle Foundation’s earlier research. Five works underwent in-depth analysis using person-centered rather than object-centered provenance research. The stories of these individuals illustrate how Nazi persecution forced Jewish art owners to sell their possessions. Although these individuals escaped murder, their lives were profoundly affected by Nazi persecution. As Gross states in the report:
“Without [the National Socialist] persecution, the Bührle Collection would never have come into being. The Bührle Collection is therefore, due to the history of its creation, part of both Swiss and Jewish history.”
Raphael Gross’s report makes three key recommendations, all of which the SIG fully supports:
- Further Provenance Research: Additional research should be conducted to determine whether works in the Bührle collection were previously owned by Jews or were confiscated due to Nazi persecution.
- Establishment of a Diverse Committee: The Kunsthaus Zürich should form a committee with a variety of professional and biographical perspectives. Alongside this, an assessment scheme for identifying confiscations due to Nazi persecution should be developed for both the Kunsthaus Zürich’s collection and permanent loans.
- Reevaluation of the Collection’s Name: The Kunsthaus Zürich should reconsider the name “Emil Bührle Collection.” The loan to the Kunsthaus includes only a third of the 633 works Bührle acquired between 1936 and 1956. Gross’s evaluation suggests that the remaining 400 works, not publicly accessible, were acquired under similar circumstances. By displaying the Bührle Foundation Collection in the Kunsthaus Zürich, the name Bührle and his entire collection are being honored. The findings of the review challenge whether the Kunsthaus can morally and ethically reconcile this with its values. This issue will need to be addressed sooner or later.
