The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts recently appointed Karen Daly as the museum’s first senior manager of provenance research. 

Daly assumed the role on March 10. She will oversee research on the museum’s 50,000-piece collection, focusing on tracing the ownership history of objects, especially those that may have been looted or stolen. 

Provenance research is a vital part of ensuring all objects in a museum’s collection are lawfully acquired. The museum’s efforts are aimed at addressing works of art created before 1946, which may have been stolen during World War II. Since 2004, the museum has resolved several Nazi-era art claims, returning three works to their rightful owners.

In addition, VMFA has repatriated 44 ancient artworks to Italy, Egypt and Turkey, in accordance with international guidelines. In 2023, the museum returned five items to tribal communities in compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

Daly’s role also will include working with VMFA’s staff to develop research protocols, address restitution claims and increase public access to provenance information via the museum’s website.