Looted
September 5, 2024–December 15, 2024
Multimedia Exhibition
Curated by Heidi Rabben
Image: Looted Installation View. CJM, San Francisco.
Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM)
736 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
+1-415-655-7800
CJM Website
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Contemporary Jewish Museum Hours
| Mon. | Closed |
|---|---|
| Tue. | Closed |
| Wed. | Closed |
| Thu. | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
| Fri. | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
| Sat. | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
| Sun. | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
Overview
Today’s LOVE LETTER TO ART is Looted, curated by Heidi Rabben and on view at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco until December 15, 2024.
“Looted is a reflection on the history of Polish-owned paintings stolen by the Nazis during World War II, revealing deep connections between art, memory, power, and loss. Initiated by Polish artist Dorota Mytych and created with painting collaborators Jessica Houston (Canada), Marcia Teusink (UK), and Tracy Grubbs (USA), this multimedia installation is presented at The CJM both inside the Black Box Gallery and in The Museum’s lobby as a multi-frame projection.
The video projections feature the four artists recreating and then erasing images of artworks based on documentation from the Polish government archive of looted artwork, which includes works by Raphael, Rembrandt, and Rubens, among others.
Between 1933 and 1945, approximately one fifth of all art in Europe and more than five million significant cultural items were seized by the Nazis from museums, churches, and private collections.
Alongside the video works, a digital touchscreen database (also accessible via QR code and on LootedArtwork.com) enables visitors to explore the background of each painting or to contribute knowledge to it, including its present-day status, if known.”
Preview of Looted. CJM, San Francisco.
This heartbreaking yet powerful exhibition demonstrates the Holocaust’s lasting impact on Jewish descendants nearly a century later. Works like Looted are vital for raising awareness, as art looting continues in war-torn countries such as Cambodia and Ukraine (see the 60 Minutes episode linked below).
One of the most polarizing cases of art looting involves Hildebrand Gurlitt and his son, Cornelius (see linked videos below). Hildebrand Gurlitt, a German museum director and art dealer in the 1930s, was of partial Jewish descent and became an art dealer for the Nazis during WWII. He helped acquire art for Hitler’s planned ‘Führermuseum’ and sold works deemed ‘degenerate.’ His son, Cornelius Gurlitt, inherited over 1,400 artworks amassed by his father, which remained undiscovered until 2012, when Cornelius was 79 years old. Upon his death in 2014, Cornelius bequeathed the collection to the Kunstmuseum Bern in Switzerland. The museum is committed to investigating the provenance of works in the Gurlitt Collection and returning looted pieces to the rightful heirs of Jewish owners.
Jewish families have spent years in lawsuits trying to reclaim Nazi-looted artworks. Maria Altmann, the niece of Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, sought the return of Gustav Klimt’s iconic paintings (see linked videos below), including Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, stolen by the Nazis during WWII. Her legal struggle culminated in a landmark 2006 U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing her to sue the Austrian government. Ultimately, Austria returned five Klimt paintings to Altmann, who emphasized that her fight was not about personal gain but about justice and preserving her family’s legacy. The case underscored the ongoing importance of restitution efforts for Holocaust survivors and their descendants.
🗓 Looted runs until December 15, 2024 at the Contemporary Jewish Museum.
The exhibition runs alongside the CJM’s 4 other shows: Nicki Green: Firmament (PHENOMENAL SHOW. See A LOVE LETTER TO ART’s review HERE); California Jewish Open [Open Call Exhibition Feat. 47 Artists]; L’Chaim: Celebrating Our Building at 15; Leah Rosenberg: When One Sees a Rainbow. ALL ARE FREE ADMISSION UNTIL, SUNDAY DECEMBER 15, 2024—after which, sadly, the museum will be closing for a year to undergo financial restructuring.
Hearing this news post-election felt like another punch to the gut. But I suppose it is times like these that vulnerable communities—LGBTQ+, racial and religious minorities, women, the arts—must come together and support each other.
I write about these shows because it’s my LOVE LETTER TO ART—but it’s also my love letter to all the people who put in long, hard, and often tedious hours to make art happen. Not just the artists, curators, and administrative staff, but also the preparators, security guards, restaurant workers, janitors, and ticketing agents who work for our viewing pleasure—for which I’m incredibly grateful.
I am looking forward to the reopening of the CJM. It’s a San Francisco art gem that has presented so many wonderful exhibitions over the years (see our Guide to the CJM for more info); the Stanley Kubrick and Amy Winehouse exhibitions were among the very best.
💌 Did you see the show(s)? What did you think? Let us know in the comments (in the Reviews section located on the second tab at the top of the page).
QUICK GUIDE: Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM)
⭐ EXHIBITIONS: Looted (Exhibition featuring Polish-owned paintings stolen during the Nazi occupation in World War II]; Nicki Green: Firmament (PHENOMENAL SHOW. See A LOVE LETTER TO ART’s review HERE); California Jewish Open (Open Call Exhibition Feat. 47 Artists); L’Chaim: Celebrating Our Building at 15; Leah Rosenberg: When One Sees a Rainbow. All Close December 15, 2024.
⭐ MUSEUM HOURS: Open Thursday–Sunday 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Closed Monday–Wednesday.
⭐ ADMISSION: FREE
⭐ EVENTS: (FREE) Connecting to Jewishness Through Art: Elina Frumerman and Natalya Burd on Dec 1, 11:30 a.m.; ArtBash: Hanukkah ArtKit Pickup (Includes supplies to make a Jewish backpack charm: December 5–15; Sharing Hanukkah in the Classroom: A Workshop for Parents and Educators on Dec 10, 12:00-1:00 p.m.; Rabbi Batshir Torchio on the Mikveh on Dec 12, 11:30 a.m.; Connecting to Jewishness Through Art: Tiffany Shlain and Amy Trachtenberg on Dec 15, 11:30 a.m.
⭐ CJM NEARBY ART: MUSEUMS: YBCA [Nicky Nodjoumi & Nahid Hagigat are EXTRAORDINARY SHOWS feat. the Iranian American artists. Post to follow soon.] (2 min walk); MoAD (3 min walk); SFMOMA [*Amy Sherald: American Sublime is an EXCELLENT show feat. nearly 50 works, including her iconic portraits of Michelle Obama and Breonna Taylor. Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture is the ultimate sports fan show, and so fun too. Posts to follow soon.] (4 min walk). PUBLIC ART: Revelation, the Martin King Jr. memorial fountain and several others at Yerba Buena Gardens (2 min walk) [see LINK for Yerba Buena Gardens self-guided art tour]. GALLERIES: Berggruen Gallery (8 min walk).
⭐ CJM NEARBY FOOD/DRINK: While the CJM no longer has an eatery (sad to see Wise Sons go), there are several casual dining options nearby. The closest are Tropisueño [counter-order Mexican] (1 min walk) and Delarosa [pizza and pasta] BOOK DELAROSA ON OPEN TABLE HERE (1 min walk), Amber India [upscale Indian food w/ *Mon–Fri LUNCH SPECIALS starting at $18 & $32 Lunch Buffet!] BOOK AMBER INDIA ON OPEN TABLE HERE (1 min walk).
My nearby FAVES are OREN’S HUMMUS [around the corner] (3 min walk). Check out their *AMAZING HAPPY HOUR Monday–Thursday 3:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. and GRACE [SFMOMA’s public street-level restaurant]. *They also have a FABULOUS HAPPY HOUR Thursday–Monday 3:00–5:00 p.m. **My PERSONAL PICKS are THE CAVALIER [*CHECK OUT THEIR FANTASTIC HAPPY HOURS: Mon–Sat 4:00–6:00 p.m.; Fri & Sat 9:00–10:00 p.m. Includes $10 Cocktails & Apps under $20! The MARLOWE BURGER is a SF classic.] (7 min walk) and the PIED PIPER [Old world bar + food + Maxfield Parrish’s Pied Piper painting in SF’s historic Palace Hotel] (7 min walk).
💌 More nearby suggestions are always welcome. Feel free to add in the comments!
A LOVE LETTER TO ART RECOMMENDS
For helpful tips on planning your visit to the CJM, see our COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE CONTEMPORARY JEWISH MUSEUM.
NEARBY ART
NEARBY FOOD/DRINK
RELATED POSTS
RELATED VIDEOS
60 Minutes Episodes on Art Looting (Cambodia 0:11; Ukraine 26:57; Cornelius Gurlitt 40:03).
The Rape of Europa (Part I), 2006. Full Film Available for FREE on Amazon Prime Video HERE.
Raiders of the Lost Art: Hitler’s Art Dealer (Hildebrand Gurlitt & Cornelius Gurlitt), 2014.
The Nazi Art Heist – A Belated Search for Justice (explores the ongoing restitution research of looted Jewish art), 2023.
Klimt: Adele’s Last Will (Documentary), 2006.
Woman in Gold (Adele Bloch-Bauer), 2015.
Author: ALoveLettertoArt
