Screen 2: Provenance Research at the Administrative Library
Since 2023, the Provenance Research Commission has been examining the historical holdings of the Administrative Library for indicators relevant to the provisions of the Art Restitution Act. Particular attention is paid to ownership marks such as inscriptions, bookplates, or stamps from former owners. These traces form the basis for further investigation to determine whether the individuals concerned were persecuted during the Nazi era for racial, political, religious, or ideological reasons.
The review of these holdings is still ongoing. To date, approximately 34,500 of the 35,600 printed works have been assessed and classified into three categories based on the guidelines of the Commission for Provenance Research:
- Unobjectionable – no grounds for suspicion
- Open – unclear provenance
- Questionable – potential grounds for restitution
Printed works deemed unobjectionable have sufficiently clarified provenance, ruling out applicability under §1 of the Art Restitution Act. Questionable works, by contrast, raise concerns due to ownership clues linked to persecution. Items where a determination cannot yet be made are classified as open.
Current findings indicate the presence of several works previously owned by lawyers persecuted by Nazi authorities in Austria. Selected cases are outlined below:
Questionable Holdings in the Administrative Library
Born in Lemberg in 1906, Arthur Ballin moved with his family to Vienna in 1914. He earned his law degree in 1928 and began practicing independently in 1936. Following Austria's annexation in 1938, Ballin – being Jewish – was banned from his profession. He escaped via Switzerland and emigrated to the United States in 1940, receiving American citizenship in 1943. He passed away in New Orleans in 1993. It remains unclear how his books entered the holdings of the Administrative Library or whether they originated from his private or professional library.
Born in Vienna in 1887, Pernter studied physics and geography. He began his civil service career in 1920, eventually becoming head of the arts department and federal theatres. As a member of the Fatherland Front's Führer Council, he served as State Secretary (1934–1936) and later as Federal Minister of Education (1936–1938). After the "Anschluss", he was imprisoned in Dachau and later Mauthausen but was unexpectedly released in 1945. Post-war, he helped found the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) and served in the National Council.
Born in Karlín in 1869, Schalek moved to Vienna with his family in 1873. After earning his law degree in 1892, he was admitted to the bar in 1899. In 1916, he converted from Judaism to Roman Catholicism shortly before marrying Olga Fornasari. Following the annexation, Schalek, as a "Jew by birth", lost his license to practice in 1938 but was permitted limited legal activity under Nazi regulations. His 1938 property declaration included his law library. He died in Vienna in 1942.
Born in Vienna in 1879, Allgayer began his legal and administrative career in 1901. In 1934, he became head of the General Directorate for Public Security in the Federal Chancellery. Following the "Anschluss", he was forcibly retired under the Nazi civil service restructuring decree. His pension was halved in 1939. He was rehabilitated in 1945 and died in Vienna in 1954.
Born in Prague in 1883 into a Jewish family, Paul Kisch was the older brother of writer Egon Erwin Kisch. After earning his doctorate in 1913, Paul moved to Vienna in 1918 and worked for Neue Freie Presse. During the Nazi occupation, he was forced into community labor and deported to Theresienstadt in 1943. He and his partner Edith Langer were murdered in Auschwitz in October 1944.
Born near Ostrava in 1883, Gross moved to Vienna with his family in 1888. He earned a law doctorate in 1909 and began practicing in 1919. Financial troubles plagued him throughout the 1920s and 1930s. After the annexation, he was disbarred under racial laws, arrested, and sentenced to forced labor. His wife Ida and their son Erich fled to England; Erich later became a professor of music in Australia. Gross, meanwhile, was deported to Theresienstadt in 1943 and murdered in 1944.