![[Translate to English:] Gemäldegalerie mit impressionistischen Bildern, September 1934](/fileadmin/_processed_/b/2/csm_Gema__ldegalerie_mit_impressionistischen_Bildern__September_1934_95b6fd31fc.jpg)
The Langmatt Museum’s collection was primarily assembled between 1900 and 1933 by Sidney and Jenny Brown. The core of the collection consists of around 50 outstanding French Impressionist paintings by artists such as Cassatt, Cézanne, Degas, Gauguin, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, and Sisley. The majority of these works were acquired remarkably early, between 1908 and 1919, when Impressionism was still considered contemporary art. Valuable French furniture from the 18th and 19th centuries, sculptures, drawings, textiles, silver, and porcelain, as well as Chinese ceramics, round out this unique collection.
In a provenance research project lasting just under three years, conducted from 2022 to 2024 in collaboration with Lange & Schmutz Provenienzrecherchen, 13 mostly Impressionist paintings were examined at the Museum Langmatt. Provenance research (from the Latin provenire, “to come from”) involves investigating the origin and ownership history of cultural assets. At the Langmatt Museum, this involved the provenance of the 13 paintings mentioned. Jenny and Sidney Brown had acquired these works as late additions to their Impressionist collection between 1933 and 1940. The Federal Office of Culture supported the project from 2023 to 2024.
For two of the works, Fruits and a Pot of Ginger by Paul Cézanne and Fisherwomen on the Beach at Berck by Eugène Boudin, the Langmatt Foundation reached a just and fair resolution with the descendants of the former owners based on the Washington Principles. For the remaining works, no evidence or documentation of Nazi-looted art was found by the time the project was completed, or such a connection could be ruled out.
The extensive and labor-intensive provenance research project conducted by the Langmatt Museum yielded numerous findings and met high expectations. Since the results of provenance research generally represent a snapshot in time, the topic will continue to be pursued in the future. The results of the study are publicly available on this page in the form of two comprehensive reports. The final report of the project for the Federal Office of Culture provides a detailed overview. The separate research report on Fruits and a Pot of Ginger was additionally commissioned by the Langmatt Foundation from Lange & Schmutz.
