Provenance research investigates the origin of works of art and cultural assets with the aim of tracing their history and ownership as completely as possible.

In accordance with the agreement with the Federal Office of Culture (FOC), the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich has committed to researching the provenance of its collection. The research focuses on examining the holdings—both with regard to Nazi-looted art and cultural assets from colonial contexts—and then classifying and communicating the results.

The museum strives to contribute to the fulfillment of the Washington Guidelines of 1998 and is committed to dealing honestly and transparently with the history of its collections. The Museum für Gestaltung Zürich recognizes the Ethical Guidelines for Museums of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) as the basis for provenance research. The museum sees provenance research not only as a duty, but also as an opportunity to critically question the history of its own collection and to contribute to the decolonization of the museum. The publication and education of the research results in the context of exhibitions as well as online is intended to contribute to the increasing transparency of the museum's own collection history.