Provenance researcher

Provenance researchers trace the ownership history of artworks and objects. The work involves researching the origins and ownership of items, investigating documentation and records, uncovering histories including looting or theft, and establishing the legitimacy and history of objects, combining detective work with scholarship.

They work for museums, auction houses, and institutions. The role suits scholarly, tenacious, meticulous people who can research deeply through records and archives, trace and verify ownership histories, handle sensitive findings, and combine the detective work of provenance research with the scholarship and rigour that establishing the often-contested histories of objects requires.