Art between two fires. The Nazi art plunder in the occupied Slovenian territories 1941–1945 in the context of cultural genocide

Art between two fires. The Nazi art plunder in the occupied Slovenian territories 1941–1945 in the context of cultural genocide is a post-doctoral research project dealing with a topic as old as humanity itself, whose characteristics can also be observed in contemporary political and military conflicts. The project focuses on the German looting of works of art in the occupied territories of present-day Slovenia (Lower Styria, Occupied areas of Carinthia and Carniola, and Province of Ljubljana/Operational Zone of the Adriatic Littoral). In terms of its objectives, the project will examine the mechanisms of German art looting, the legal basis for the seizures, the institutional and personnel aspects of the looting, and the fate of the seized artworks in the affected territories. The phenomenon of German looting of artworks on the territory of present-day Slovenia will be placed in a broader European context and also examined in relation to the political appropriation of cultural heritage by the National Socialists and in the context of cultural genocide carried out by the National Socialists. The research in this project will be conducted within the academic fields of art history, history, cultural history, and the history of memory and will therefore follow a multidisciplinary methodological approach. The research will primarily rely on a critical analysis of primary sources and an art historical analysis of the artworks. The main result of the project will be the publication of a scientific monograph, which will be a continuation and extension of the applicant's doctoral research. As the topic has only been partially researched thus far, the project will fill a gap in the existing art-historical and historical literature while also providing a foundation for future research on Nazi art plunder in other German-occupied territories.