Ethical Museum Stewardship? Nazi Art Plunder and the Art Institute of Chicago

Dr. Elizabeth Campbell, professor of history and founding director of the Center for Art Collection Ethics, gave a talk in Chicago on 5/19/2024.

The Art Institute of Chicago is currently in the news for defending its right to hold a drawing by Egon Schiele that is widely considered Nazi art plunder. Other museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, have restituted similar items to descendants of the same collector, Fritz Grünbaum, a victim of the Holocaust. Why is the Art Institute of Chicago engaged in this legal battle? What are the ethical dimensions of the case? Come away with a better understanding of legal and ethical factors in Nazi-era art restitution cases.

Tickets to this event included admission to the museum starting at 10 a.m., the talk and a private reception afterward.

After the talk there was a reception hosted by DU and the Chicagoland Network. As a bonus, attendees had the chance to meet with the brilliant minds of tomorrow, current DU students from the Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management, who were in town for a conference. Attendees had a direct opportunity to help these students expand their professional networks and showcase what the DU Chicagoland Network is all about.