Provenance and Cultural Property

The Cincinnati Art Museum is committed to learning about the histories of the objects it stewards. Through research and collaboration, our museum prioritizes the development of ethical and informed futures for these objects. This work is critical to the museum’s mission.

In 2024, the Cincinnati Art Museum established the Cultural Property Committee, an interdepartmental group that includes the museum’s Director and representatives from, among others, the Conservation, Curatorial, Library and Registration departments.

Goals of this committee include updating policies and guidelines for provenance research and for the stewardship of objects of historical and cultural significance; conducting an inventory of these objects; identifying additional financial and staff resources to dedicate to this work; seeking out and centering descendant and affiliated communities; and in all applicable cases, the proper restitution or return of objects. The committee will ensure compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the UNESCO convention of 1970, and the AAMD 2008 Guidelines.

Please contact us at [email protected] for further information.

For general questions about the collections, please contact us at [email protected].

Please check back as we continue to update this page with guidelines and resources.