The Transfer of Jewish-owned Cultural Objects in the Alpe Adria Region
The first International Workshop of the HERA project “Transfer of Cultural Objects in the Alpe Adria Region in the 20th Century” (TransCultAA) will take at the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca on 18-19 September 2017.
The workshop will focus on the Jewish-owned cultural property in the Italian Alpe Adria region.
As a geographic zone of transit, the Alpe Adria region, broadly understood, was characterized by an intense displacement of cultural assets owned by Jews through confiscation, plunder and seizure by German and Italian authorities during WWII.
The TransCultAA project members will point out the complexity of the phenomenon at a transnational level. In particular, they will present and analyze the different administrative practices in the management of Jewish-owned heritage, investigate the institutions, organizations and networks, examine the trajectories of victims and perpetrators, and also try to document the objects present or in transition on the territory. In doing so, the aim of the TransCultAA project is not only to trace the tangible movement of objects, but also their role as symbolic capital. Accordingly, alongside ‘high’ art also ‘low’ art and everyday objects – which all played a role in developing individual, collective and national identities – will be taken into account. Finally, multinational members of TransCultAA will share the results of their recent and ongoing research projects, and recommend new approaches and paths for investigations in this field.