Techniques for researching the provenance—or history of ownership—of artwork have developed in sophistication over the past 30 years. The Getty was at the forefront of this endeavor, establishing its Provenance Index as early as the 1980s. Since then, the subject has only grown in importance, with museums, commercial galleries, and auction houses now dedicating considerable time and resources to provenance research. The Getty Research Institute’s exhibition Lost. Found. Returned. traces the journey of an Otto Greiner drawing from Dresden during World War II to Los Angeles in the 21st century. In sketching this unexpected path, the exhibition demonstrates how relevant provenance research is to the art world in 2026.

This talk will briefly review the modern history of provenance research and its corollary: art restitution, or the return of stolen and looted artwork to its rightful owners. We will consider how the ethics of art collecting have evolved over the past three decades so that today, American museums are proactively reaching ownership resolutions with claimants and transparently featuring stories of looting and restitution in their galleries.