The Völkerkundemuseum of the von Portheim Foundation is a vibrant center for scholarly discourse and exchange. As an affiliated institute to Heidelberg University, we are actively involved in academic teaching and regularly mentor students and researchers in their projects.
Our extensive collections offer unique insights into the world’s cultural diversity and are available to scholars from a wide range of disciplines for research purposes. Together with national and international partners, we develop innovative research projects, enabling new perspectives on the dynamics of cultural processes.
Current Projects (Selection)
Research Tandem “Shaping Access”
Project Duration: 2022 – 2026
Funded by the Flagship Initiative “Transforming Cultural Heritage” of Heidelberg University
An interdisciplinary research project on the handling of human remains in collections of the Ethnographic Museum vPST and Heidelberg University. The engagement with those remains held in museum and university collections is a complex scientific and societal challenge that highlights numerous social, political, economic, medical, and ethical concerns. This Research Tandem aims to explore and transfer strategies into society that address these concerns on a theoretical and practical level.
Project Archive (Selection)
The Collections of the von Portheim Foundation and their “Utilization” during the Nazi Era
Project Duration: March 2014 – March 2017
Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media via the German Center for Lost Art (Deutsches Zentrum Kulturgutverluste) in Magdeburg, following a resolution by the German Bundestag. (www.kulturgutverluste.de)
Historical Context
The maintaining body of the Völkerkundemuseum vPST is the Josefine und Eduard von Portheim-Stiftung für Wissenschaft und Kunst (Foundation for Science and Art). It was founded in December 1919 by Victor Goldschmidt and his wife Leontine, née von Portheim; both were of Jewish origin. The foundation was originally conceived as an independent network of research institutions. After 1945, only the Ethnographic Institute (today’s Völkerkundemuseum) remained under the sponsorship of the foundation.
Impact of the Nazi Era
The “Aryanization” of the foundation and its realignment during the Nazi era had profound implications for the institution and its holdings. The foundation was instrumentalized for Nazi political objectives. This resulted in the dissolution, “transfer” (Abgabe), and “utilization” (Verwertung) of substantial parts of the collection.
Project Goals
Key tasks of the project include the analysis of relevant archival records in order to document the seized collections and investigate their whereabouts. Furthermore, the project aims to research the Nazi-directed strategies of this “utilization” as well as the networks involved, specifically to shed light on how the cultural property of a Jewish foundation was disposed of at the “source.”