When is the exhibition open on March 26, 2026

The exhibition can be visited on March 26, 2026, from 7 AM to 9 PM; admission is free.

Are there guided tours or workshops

Yes, upon request, the GSI offers guided tours and workshops for school classes from grade 10 onwards. Prior coordination with the institute is required.

What is the admission price

Admission is free; no registration is required for the exhibition visit.

Where does the exhibition take place

At the Gustav-Stresemann-Institut e.V., Stresemann Gallery, Langer Grabenweg 68, 53175 Bonn.

Are photographs allowed

Information to follow; please ask the supervision or reception on site about the current regulations.

How do I reach the GSI by public transport

The GSI is located in the Bonn federal district; use train or bus to the area of Heinemannstraße or federal district and walk the last minutes. Detailed routes are provided on the GSI website.

Rose Valland: Expropriated Art

Name: Exhibition Rose Valland: In Search of Expropriated Art
Start: 2026-03-26T08:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-03-26T22:00:00+01:00
Location: Gustav-Stresemann-Institut e.V. (GSI), Stresemann-Galerie

Resistance, Courage and Art Salvage: The World of Rose Valland at the GSI Bonn

The exhibition Rose Valland: In Search of Expropriated Art at the Gustav-Stresemann-Institut (GSI) in Bonn honors one of the most impressive personalities in European art history. It makes visible how an art historian with a clear eye, precise work examination, and quiet determination helped to save tens of thousands of looted artworks.

An Art Experience Between History and Present

In a calm exhibition atmosphere, a dense panorama of photographs, documents, and wall texts unfolds. Colors and typography are chosen conservatively to allow materiality and historical sources to have an effect: lists, transport documents, stamps, locations. The spatial effect is intentionally clear – it invites an aesthetic experience of careful reading and concentrated tracing of provenance and biographies.

Rose Valland: Art Historian, Chronicler, Defender of Museums

The curation describes Valland's work at the Musée du Jeu de Paume in Paris during the German occupation: she secretly documented transports by the Reichsleiter Rosenberg task force, identified destinations, and assisted in restitutions after 1945. The artwork analysis focuses less on individual masterpieces and more on the structures of art looting – a historiographical classification that critically examines collection policies, trade, and the ethics of museums.

Curated Knowledge Spaces: Provenance Research as a Cultural Mission

The exhibition, created in cooperation with the Musée Dauphinois (Département Isère) and partners in Germany, connects painting, sculpture, and photography with archival materials. It shows how provenance research works today: meticulous source study, international collaboration, digital databases. Thus, history becomes the lived present of museums – with clear relevance for cultural memory and justice.

Museum Education with Depth

Upon request, the GSI offers workshops for student groups from grade 10 and guided tours. Educational materials sharpen the perception of form, context, and context loss: what does it mean when the signature of a painting remains, but the provenance entry has been deleted? How does lighting and hanging change our perception of historical documents?

Conclusion

Those who visit the exhibition experience a concentrated, touching art experience: no pathos, but precise curiosity for knowledge. It’s about the dignity of artworks, the stories of their owners – and about responsibility. Take the opportunity for quiet, intensive examination of works and let yourself be inspired for your own research attitude. Definitely see it live.