Curatorial Conversations | 'Afterlives: Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art'

A Curatorial Conversation with Darsie Alexander (Susan and Elihu Rose Chief Curator) and Sam Sackeroff (Lerman-Neubauer Associate Curator) on the current exhibition at the Jewish Museum, New York.
Afterlives: Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art focuses on the seizure and movement of artworks as they traveled through distribution centers, sites of recovery, and networks of collectors, before, during, and after World War II. The exhibition includes paintings, drawings, and Judaica that survived this traumatic period of violence and upheaval against tremendous odds. By tracing the fascinating timelines of individual objects as they passed through hands and sites, their myriad stories are brought forward, often in dialogue with archival documents and photographs that connect them to history. In addition, the Jewish Museum commissioned four contemporary artists to create new works that address the resonance of the exhibition's themes. The exhibition is on view at the Jewish Museum in New York City from August 20, 2021 through January 9, 2022.
"A New York show of masterpieces, stolen by the Nazis and then recovered, highlights how people worked to save and repair a shattered culture" - Financial Times
Curatorial Conversations bring to the Warburg curators of world-leading museums and galleries to discuss their work.The conversations, led by academics at the Warburg Institute, discuss the issues of setting the curatorial agenda and staging meaningful encounters with objects. The series is designed to draw out discussion of the discoveries made, challenges tackled and the lessons learned in installing objects in the permanent collection and putting together internationally renowned exhibitions.
This online event took place on 2 November 2021.