The workshop will focus on the city of Florence as a site of circulation and translocation of cultural assets from 1922 to the present in order to inquire into how and to which extent material culture shaped and was shaped by specific events, actors and networks active in Florence. 

3rd Workshop of the Working group Italy (Arbeitskreis Provenienzforschung e.V.) in cooperation with the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz – Max-Planck-Institut

10-11 November 2025

Argument

On 10-11 November 2025, the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz – Max-Planck-Institut will host the third annual meeting of the Working group Italy of the Arbeitskreis Provenienzforschung e.V.

The workshop will focus on the city of Florence as a site of circulation and translocation of cultural assets from 1922 to the present. Renowned hub for art lovers and dealers from all over Europe and the US since the 19th century, during these decades Florence-based cultural assets experienced an unprecedented level of exchange, displacement or outright looting that affected especially Jewish citizens but also political opponents and expats communities. From 1945 onwards, an equally difficult and partial process of restitution followed, which prioritised almost exclusively the city’s public collections. Putting the items themselves at the centre of the enquiry – not only artworks but also books, archives, ceremonial objects, Judaica, Hebraica, music instruments, furniture, etc. –, the two-day workshop will revolve around the Florentine case study in order to inquire into how and to which extent material culture shaped and was shaped by specific events, actors and networks active in Florence. What histories of acquisition, exchange, exile, looting, confiscation, theft, restitution or relocation can be traced through their Florentine provenance, even when part of a much broader background? What role did the Florentine art market play in the much broader networks of international actors in these decades?   

Submission guidelines

We welcome submissions from both early-career and senior researchers. Please submit your proposal (max. 300 words) and a short biography (max. 100 words) to alice.cazzola@khi.fi.it 

by 30 June 2025. 

The workshop will be held in English and will be open to a maximum of 30 participants in person (registrations required), but will be streamed as a Zoom webinar in order to allow remote participants to submit their questions or comments via the Q&A function. 

Please note that participants will need to cover their travel and accommodation costs.

Concept and organization

• Dr Bianca Gaudenzi, Bye-Fellow in Modern European History, Wolfson College / Assistant professor, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
• Alice Cazzola, M.A. PhD candidate in Art History, Heidelberg University / Doctoral Fellow, Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz - Max-Planck-Institut