Arntz, Wilhelm F.

Biographical/Historical Note

Wilhelm Friedrich Arntz (1903-1985) was a German lawyer, art expert and independent researcher of twentieth century art. He was also one of the early collectors of German Expressionism. Parallel to collecting artworks, he aquired publications on 20th century art and compiled a wealth of archival material, including newspaper clippings, correspondence of artists, art historians and dealers, and ephemeral items such as invitations to exhibition openings.

Trained as a lawyer, Arntz began his professional career as political editor for the newspaper Frankurter Generalanzeiger, but he lost his job in 1933 after the Nazis came to power. He was hired as a foreign correspondent for the HUCK-Verband, a major German newspaper trust in London in the 1930s.

Shortly after the war Arntz worked as head of the department of cultural affaires (Kulturreferat) in Stuttgart. In 1947, together with Robert Norman Ketterer he founded the auction house Stuttgarter Kunstkabinett where he worked until 1955-1956 as a consultant and expert on 20th century art. Subsequently, he worked until 1978 for the auction house Kunsthaus Lempertz in Cologne. At the same time, he served as an expert on forgery in various legal proceedings, such as the Malskat-case in 1954-1955 in Lübeck or the civil action on a false Lautrec attribution in Munich in 1970. As a lawyer he was also involved in cases concerning property law and restitution of artwork confiscated by the Nazis, as well as insurance, tax matters, copyright law, and protection of cultural patrimony.

During World War II, Arntz lost most of his library and archive, the greater portion of which he was able to rebuild after 1945. He enlarged his collection with copies or transcripts of official statements, reports and letters by high ranking National Socialists and post-war authorities on the so-called degenerate art campaign.

Arntz's collection, known as the Kunstarchiv Arntz, kept in his private home in Haag, in Bavaria, served as the source of information for his various professional activities. With certain limitations, he made his library and archival material available to the public and allowed students and colleagues to conduct research in his home.