All News

30 Apr 2022

On the Nicosia Convention

The Convention has been open for signature since 2017 and has so far been signed and ratified by only five members of the Council of Europe and one non-member state. Perhaps unsurprisingly, most of the countries that have adopted the Convention are source countries, i.e., countries from which antiquities originate, including Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Mexico, which have an inherent interest in protecting their cultural heritage. 

The Lawyers Monthly

Category News
05 Apr 2022

British Museum Faces Legal Action Over 3D Scan of Parthenon Marbles

 

The British Museum is facing legal action after refusing to allow the Institute for Digital Archaeology (IDA) to take 3D scans of the Parthenon Marbles. The IDA, one of the UK’s top organizations for heritage preservation, announced on Wednesday that it would serve the museum an injunction to order the museum to allow for the 3D scans.

Source & link: Greek Reporter

 

Category News
05 Apr 2022

Entering into force of the Council of Europe Convention on Offences relating to Cultural Property

 

The Council of Europe’s Nicosia Convention puts cultural heritage at the heart of its mission and provides for a criminal justice response to the criminal offences relating to cultural property. It is the only international legal instrument aiming at preventing and combating the destruction, damage and trafficking of cultural property by providing for the criminalisation of certain acts.

Source & link: CoE

 

Category News
31 Mar 2022

Hermann Prazinger on distruction in Ukraine

 Hermann Parzinger the President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation in an Interview on the destruction of cultural heritage in the Ukraine (in German language). 

 "In der Ukraine wird Kulturerbe zur Zielscheibe"

 Link:Augsburger Allgemeine

 

 

 

 

 

Category News
08 Sep 2021

Judge Rejects Turkey’s Claim That Ancient Sculpture Was Looted

A U.S. judge ruled on Tuesday that Turkey cannot recover a 6,000-year-old marble idol known as the "Guennol Stargazer" from Christie's and the hedge fund billionaire Michael Steinhardt.

Article in Swissinfo

Category News
05 Aug 2021

A Dealer’s Attempt to Sue the Nation of Italy

A U.S. judge has dismissed an art dealer’s lawsuit against Italy over a disputed sculpture of Alexander the Great. New York’s Safani Gallery brought the suit against the Italian government after the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, acting on a lead from the Italian culture ministry, seized the ancient artifact.

ARTNET NEWS

Category News
05 Aug 2021

Iraq: 17,000 ancient looted artifacts returned

On Wednesday, the US announced it was returning 17,000 archaeological artifacts to Iraq. The objects, which are around 4,000 years old and from the Sumerian period, were returned on Thursday onboard the flight of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who was in Washington DC for a meeting with US President Joe Biden.

Full article in DW

Category News
20 Apr 2021

Call for feedback on EU’s cultural goods importation rules

The art and antiques sector has until April 21 to submit feedback on new rules proposed by the European Union on the import of cultural goods. Following Brexit the UK will not adhere to the new regulations on this matter. But all EU nations will follow the new law when it comes into force, expected to be by 2025.

The form can be found online at: http://atg.news/EUculturalgoods

 

Category News
26 Mar 2021

Police barred from searching Queen's estates for looted artefacts

Police have been barred from searching the Queen’s private estates for stolen or looted artefacts after ministers granted her a personal exemption from a law that protects the world’s cultural property, the Guardian can reveal. Buckingham Palace and the government are refusing to say why it was deemed necessary in 2017 to give the Queen an exemption that prevents police from searching Balmoral and Sandringham.

The Guardian

Category News
16 Mar 2021

War, Cultural Objects, Looting and Restitution: An Introduction to the Legal Framework

A lecture by Evelien Campfens to take place on Thursday 18.03.2021. The lecture is part of the Guest Lectures Spring 2021 of the University of Leiden: Topical Issues in Museums, organized by Dr. Laurie Kalb Cosmo.

Details and application

Category News
16 Mar 2021

Hellenic Blue Shield Seminars

The Greek Committee of the Blue Shield, the University of Nicosia and the University of Athens organize a seminar on the protection of Cultural Heritage.

Language: English

Click here for more information

Category News
16 Mar 2021

The Parthenon Marbles: here we go again

Some food for thought...

Boris Johnson rules out the return of Parthenon marbles to Greece:

The Guardian.com

Renewed Debate over Cultural Property: Prof. David Gill - Heritage Futures

 

 

Category News
04 Jan 2021

Conference on "orphan works"

The University of Geneva organizes with the support of UNESCO, UNIDROIT and the Foundation Gandur pour L’Art, a two day conference titled: What prospects for “orphan works"? Reflections on cultural goods without provenance”. The conference will take place on the 4th and 5th February 2021 and will be held in French and English with simultaneous translation.

 

 More details as well as the Program here

 

Category News
12 Dec 2020

Nazi art dispute goes to US supreme court in landmark case

A 12-year wrangle over a rare collection of medieval ecclesiastical art sold by Jewish art dealers to the Nazis in 1935 arrived in front of the highest court in the US last Monday, in a landmark case defence lawyers say could open the floodgates for restitution battles from all over the world to be fought via the US.

The Guardian - Read the Article here

Category News
12 Dec 2020

Chinas Court rule on return of the statue of Zhanggong-zushi

A Chinese court judged that lex rei sitae should be interpreted to facilitate the return of stolen cultural property, so that the lex furti, i.e., Chinese law, shall govern the ownership of stolen cultural property overseas.

Read the Article here

Category News
19 Nov 2020

The new commentary on the German Act on the Protection of Cultural Property

 

An excelled piece of work, for our German speakers.

By Prof. Dr. Kerstin von der Decken, Prof. Dr. Frank Fechner and Prof. Dr. Matthias Weller.

 

Nomos Shop

 

Category News
19 Nov 2020

New heritage body aims to keep Unesco in check by calling on public to report sites in danger

A new independent conservation organisation is calling on members of the public and culture professionals to monitor and report on the status of Unesco’s World Heritage sites because safeguarding these cultural hot spots has become a “secondary concern” for the United Nations cultural agency.   The Art Newspaper

 Our World Heritage Website

Category News
15 Nov 2020

International online conference on protection cultural heriatge

 

UNESCO, the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, the European Commission and the Council of Europe are organizing an international online conference on multilateralism, cultural heritage protection and the fight against illicit trafficking from 16 to 18 November.

Unesco-Link

 

Category News
14 Nov 2020

The Art Newspaper: Unesco, stop citing 'bogus' $10bn figure, art trade pleads

Ahead of a major anniversary this weekend, the international organisation is under fire for apparently exaggerating the scale of the illicit trade in cultural goods.

 

Article by The Art Newspaper

Category News
30 Oct 2020

UNESCO - Eighth Session of the Subsidiary Committee

The Eighth Session of the Subsidiary Committee of the Meeting of States Parties to the 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property took place on 27 and 28 October 2020 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.  More Here

 

Category News
29 Oct 2020

Lawsuit demands California museum forfeit Thai artifacts

The U.S. government is demanding a San Francisco museum give up claims to two religious relics allegedly stolen from Thailand, the U.S. attorney’s office announced Tuesday. A civil complaint filed Monday in federal court seeks the forfeiture of two 1,500-pound hand-carved sandstone lintels the government contends were looted from ancient temples in Thailand.

 The Washington Post

 

Category News
28 Oct 2020

Armenian monuments in line of fire in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Unesco accused of turning a blind eye to destruction of heritage sites, as bitter skirmish between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the disputed territory drags on.

www.theartnewspaper.com

Category News
28 Oct 2020

After the Blast, Beirut Fights to Save Its Architectural Heritage

It’s been two months since the blast, and Maria Hibri has glued together the splintered filigree from her triple-arched windows....  Article: BNN Bloomberg

Category News
14 Feb 2020

The Geneva Summer Schools: International Cultural Heritage Law

The summer school aims to develop the students’ awareness and general understanding of the main substantive themes of international cultural heritage law, namely: the trade in cultural objects; the restitution of stolen or looted artworks; the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict; and the protection of the built heritage from natural and human-induced disasters.

Final deadline: 15.04.2020                        More information here

 

Category News
14 Feb 2020

The Regulation of American Archaeology

[....] The first and most significant federal law governing archaeology is the Antiquities Act of 1906. This act was the first to establish penalties for illegal excavations, damage, or appropriation of American antiquities. These penalties, however, only apply when the illegal action takes place on land “owned or controlled” by the federal government. The act also authorizes the President to declare historic landmarks as national monuments. [...]

The Regulatory Review

Category News
12 Feb 2020

Innovative technology could help combat money laundering

The world of art and antiques is the largest lawful unregulated business on the planet, and art crime is estimated to be second to the illegal narcotics trade in terms of annual revenue generated. With the sector being so lenient on legislation, it has found itself favoured by those seeking to launder their money.

Euronews

Category News
05 Feb 2020

German court rules in favour of Nazi-looted art database

A German court has ruled that the current possessor of a work of art cannot stop a claimant from registering it on a government database of Nazi-looted art in the latest in a series of legal challenges to listings on lostart.de 

The Art Newspaper

Category News
02 Feb 2020

UK to Assist Nigeria in Retrieving Ife Bronze Head

The United Kingdom has offered to assist Nigeria in retrieving the Ife Bronze Head, an antiquity stolen at National Museum, Jos in 1987 and found with a Belgian collector in London, about 30 years after.

Full Article in AllAfrica

Category News
19 Jan 2020

Looted ancient Afghan masterpiece recovered

A sculpture that was stolen from the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul almost 30 years ago is to be returned to its country of origin after being seen on a British auctioneer’s website and investigated by the Metropolitan police.

The Guardian

Category News
19 Jan 2020

Stolen copy of Persian poet Hafez recovered

A stolen 15th-century book by the famed Persian poet Hafez has been recovered by a Dutch art detective. The gold-leafed volume worth around one million euros ($1.1 million) was found to be missing from the collection of an Iranian antiques dealer after his death in Germany in 2007.

                                             Full Article: The News.pk

Category News
11 Jan 2020

Germany Opens an Official ‘Help Desk’ for Nazi-Looted Art

Germany has launched a specialized office to help people reclaim art and other cultural assets seized by the Nazis during WWII. The official “help desk” has been established in Berlin by the German Lost Art Foundation, the state-funded organization that oversees all matters pertaining to the illegal seizure of cultural assets during the Nazi regime.

Article in ArtNetNews

Category News
11 Jan 2020

A legal guide to the new anti-money laundering rules in the UK

In July 2018 the 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive (MLD5) was adopted by the EU as part of the Juncker Commission’s response to the terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015 and Brussels in 2016, the Panama Papers scandal, and increased scrutiny of free ports following the Yves Bouvier affair. The UK has until 10 January 2020 to transpose MLD5 into national law.

Link to the article: Apollo Magazine (needs free registration)

Category News
19 Nov 2019

An international organised crime group dismantled by Europol and Eurojust

An international police operation carried out ον 18.11.2019, supported by Eurojust and Europol, dismantled an international organised crime group involved in large-scale trafficking of Greek archaeological items looted from Calabria, Italy, resulting in 23 arrests and 103 searches and seizures, yielding approximately 10 000 archaeological goods.

More under ΕUROJUST

Category News
19 Nov 2019

47th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention

The 16th November 2019 marked the 47th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention. This Convention protects the world’s most outstanding places. The idea of creating an international movement for protecting heritage emerged after World War I. The 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage developed from the merging of two separate movements: the first focusing on the preservation of cultural sites, and the other dealing with the conservation of nature.   More under the UNESCO site

Category News
13 Nov 2019

One year after the Sarr-Savoy report

A year ago this month, authors Felwine Sarr and Bénédicte Savoy submitted their controversial report to French President Emanuel Macron. The report recommended the return of a vast number of Sub-Saharan African artefacts currently in French public museums, while suggesting a procedure for securing that return. Here we are in late 2019 and not a single item has been returned to Africa.

A comment by Alexander Herman in The Art Newspaper

Category News
21 Oct 2019

Act for Heritage! - CoE Conference in Nicosia

The HSLA has kindly been invited and one of our lawyers, Ms. Eleni Dimonitsa,  is very much looking forward to participate at the two-day conference on promoting the Council of Europe Convention on Offences relating to Cultural Property (the Nicosia Convention) on 24-26 October 2019. The Conference is is organized by the Commissioner for Volunteerism and Non-Governmental Organisations of  Cyprus, in co-operation with the MfA of Cyprus, the CoE and the EU. Thank you CoE !

More information - CoE

Category News
20 Oct 2019

German states establish help desk to handle artefacts acquired in colonial era

The culture ministers of Germany’s 16 states and the federal government have agreed to set up a help desk to inform and advise individuals and institutions from former colonies seeking to repatriate objects looted from their territory during the colonial era.The new help desk will start work in the first quarter of next year and will be half financed by the states, half by the federal government.

The Art Newspaper

Category News
11 Oct 2019

U.S. Attorney Announces Civil Action

Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that the United States filed a civil lawsuit to resolve potential claims to “Site avec 5 personnages” (the “Painting”), an acrylic work on canvas by renowned 20th century-artist Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985) that was last known to be the personal property of Michel Cohen (“Cohen”), a former art dealer who has been under indictment for wire and mail fraud since 2003. 

Press Release of U.S. Attorney's Office - Southern District of New York

 

Category News
11 Oct 2019

Money laundering, trafficking, ivory: crackdown on art crime intensifies

Pressure on the UK’s art trade is increasing as it faces a wave of legislative changes and increased attention from enforcement agencies. As UK courts introduced new sentencing guidelines for criminal damage to heritage assets on 1 October, the trade was counting down to the anti-money-laundering regulations that are coming into force in January and pushing for a judicial review of the contentious Ivory Act 2018.

The Art Newspaper

Category News
08 Oct 2019

'Manhattan of the desert': civil war puts Yemen's ancient skyscrapers at risk

In addition to the conflict’s huge human cost, Yemen’s rich cultural heritage has been ravaged, from the Queen of Sheba’s reputed throne room to the mudbrick high-rises of Shibam.
Article by Bethan McKernan in Shibam, Yemen in The Guardian

Article in The Guardian

Category News
04 Oct 2019

Art works: New method of money laundering

[...] Unlike banks, life insurance companies, casinos, currency exchangers, and even precious-metals dealers, auction houses and art sellers have no obligation to report large cash transactions to a governing authority. In fact, dealers can keep the names of buyers and sellers anonymous.

Read full article here

 

Category News
23 Sep 2019

Nazi plunder? Fight over prized artwork set for Rochester court

A treasured artwork owned by a Pittsford man has become the subject of an international legal dispute centered on allegations that Nazis stole the work from its rightful owners during World War II. Christie's, the auction house that agreed in 2016 to sell the portrait, will not allow the sale to go forward until the ownership issue is decided.

Read the article here

 

Category News
22 Sep 2019

Paris art sale goes ahead despite Mexico protests

A controversial sale of pre-Columbian art went ahead in Paris on Wednesday despite calls from Mexico and UNESCO for it to be halted. The Mexican government filed a formal complaint against the auction of 120 religious and cultural artefacts from several private collections, including sacred jewellery worn by a shaman and the figurine of a fertility goddess.

France24 - Full article

Category News
15 Sep 2019

Greek Culture Minister Mendoni Slams British Museum Over Parthenon Gallery’s Condition

“The situation, as presented in photographs published in the press today, is very frustrating for the British Museum, and extremely offensive to the exhibits themselves, especially when these exhibits are no other than the Parthenon Sculptures”, Mendoni declared.

Greek Reporter

Category News
15 Sep 2019

Europe moves to curb ISIS antiquity trafficking

{...} The EU’s latest amended money laundering law takes effect in 2020. It will impose new rules of transparency on galleries and auction houses regarding their transactions, and it will impose sanctions if the operators do not comply. The EU is also urging all its member states to further populate Interpol’s databases on stolen goods and illegal antiquities to boost cross-border prosecutions.{..}

Atlantic Council

Category News
04 Sep 2019

Greece drafting proposal to seek loan of Marbles

Greece is preparing a formal request to borrow the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum for the 2021 celebrations of Greece’s 200-year independence from Turkish rule, Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said Tuesday.

Article by Kathimerini

 

Category News
30 Aug 2019

Landmark Supreme Court ruling on returning artworks illicitly exported to country of origin

In a recent decision, the Swiss Supreme Court clarified the requirements to be met by countries of origin when requesting the return of artworks allegedly illicitly exported by their legitimate owners, thus absent any issues of ownership.

An Article published by Lexology

Category News
27 Aug 2019

Greek Ministry of Culture Pursues Legal Claim to Artifact vs. Sotheby’s

The Greek Ministry of Culture reiterates its claim of dominion over a bronze sculpture from the 8th century BC, an object the Ministry reasonably believes was illegally exported from Greek territory. The Greek Ministry moved to dismiss the case, but on June 21, 2019, the court denied Greece’s motion, finding that the court had subject matter jurisdiction over the case pursuant to the commercial activity exception of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.

Full Article in the National Herald

Category News
17 Aug 2019

United States and Algeria Sign Cultural Property Agreement

This agreement places U.S. import restrictions on categories of Algerian archaeological material dating from 2.4 million years ago to approximately 1750 A.D..

Article by Stl.News

Category News
10 Aug 2019

Law, Culture and Human Rights in Asia and the Middle East

An international conference on Law, Culture and Human Rights in Asia and the Middle East is to be held on Feb. 14, 2020 at the British Institute of International & Comparative Law, Russell Square, London. The conference will focus on the topic of Culture and Cultural Heritage in Asia and the Middle East, addressing culture and cultural heritage in times of peace and armed conflicts in the region.

More information here

 

Category News
26 Jul 2019

Bonhams withdraw ancient Greek drinking vessel

Bonhams has withdrawn an ancient Greek drinking vessel from sale amid accusations that it was excavated illegally and that major auction-houses are failing to make adequate checks into whether antiquities were looted from their country of origin.

The Telegraph

Category News
17 Jul 2019

Ms. Lina Mendoni is the new Minister of Culture

With extensive experience under her belt, Mendoni, an archaeologist, has presided over the Central Archaeological Committee (ΚΑΣ), worked on dozens of excavations including the Amphipolis site, served as culture ministry secretary general, and supervised Olympic works, among others, in her long-standing career in culture.

Article on "gtp Headlines"

Category News
15 Jul 2019

What Happens When an Artwork Is Damaged beyond Repair

An article by Elene Goukassian  in Artsynet.

Full Article here

Category News
15 Jul 2019

Protecting Sites from Space

Thanks to a 1-million-dollar TED prize, ordinary people can now use high-level satellite imagery to identify potential sites for exploration, without giving the coordinates over to looters. It is all done online, suitable for children through to adults.

ABC news

Category News
27 Jun 2019

Berlin Museums appeal to U.S. Supreme Court in legal battle over Nazi-looted $276 million treasure.

A legal battle that began in 2008 regarding the provenance of Germany’s famed Guelph Treasure may soon wind up in the United States Supreme Court after the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected an appeal last week.

Article in Artsynet

Category News
27 Jun 2019

What now for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures?

On June 20, Greece and the world museum community celebrated the 10th anniversary of the inauguration of the Acropolis Museum in Athens. Amidst all the euphoria, we should not forget the main reason why the museum was built – namely, to counter the British argument that the Greeks did not have a suitable museum for the Parthenon Sculptures even if they were ever returned to Athens.

Article in the Kathimerini

Category News
21 Jun 2019

Guelph Treasure Claims to Go Forward

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today dismissed the petition to rehear en banc last year’s landmark ruling that the heirs of the art dealers who sold the Guelph Treasure (or Welfenschatz) may pursue their claims in U.S. federal court.

Guelph Treasure Claims to Go Forward

 

 

Category News
20 Jun 2019

UK Museums - Protection From Court-Ordered Seizure For Loaned Artworks

UK Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright has vowed to protect objects on loan from abroad in temporary exhibitions in UK museums from seizure by the UK courts. Works of art on display in a museum or gallery where the museum has published information about the objects on loan is now covered. This does, however, raise questions about restituted works of art from the Nazi Era.

Article in Artlyst

Category News
06 Jun 2019

Antiquities' Looted from Yemen sold at Auction

At least 100 artifacts from Yemen have been successfully sold at auction for an estimated $1 million in the U.S., Europe and the United Arab Emirates since 2011, according to a Live Science investigation into the country's so-called "blood antiquities."

Full article here

Category News
23 May 2019

University research on “Restatement of Restitution Rules”

In April 2019, research began at the University of Bonn on international practice in the restitution of artworks stolen under the Nazi regime. The project aims to provide a comprehensive, comparative analysis of international practice in the restitution of Nazi-looted art. It aims to establish a generalized set of rules on how decisions are made based on considerations of fairness and justice.

More (Engslich text follows the German)

Category News
14 May 2019

Freeports or free crime? An opinion by L. Todd in the Washington Times

 

The Washington Times published an opinion by L. Todd on how tax-exempt warehouses contribute to some $899 billion laundered each year globally.

Article

Category News
07 May 2019

First Aid to Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis 2019

Four institutions are organizing this year’s course on First Aid to Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis. The course will take place in Rome from Nοvember 11th to December 5th. Deadline to apply: 31. May 2019

More: iccrom 

Category News
24 Apr 2019

More than 30 000 ancient artefacts seized in crime bust to be returned to Bulgaria from Spain

More than 30 000 illegally exported ancient artefacts seized in a bust of an organised crime group in Spain and Bulgaria are to be returned to Bulgaria, the Prosecutor’s Office said on April 18. At a co-ordination meeting of investigators held on April 11 2019 at Eurojust headquarters in The Hague, it was agreed that the trial would be in Spain, where most of the suspects were held.

The Sofia Globe

Category News
12 Apr 2019

EU adopts new rules on cultural heritage imports

The European Council yesterday adopted new rules to clamp down on the illicit trafficking in cultural goods, including a requirement for import licences on artefacts more than 250 years old.

The Art Newspaper

Category News
05 Apr 2019

Lawsuit concerning ownership of a Matisse rejected by Supreme Court

The US Supreme Court declined to hear a case that worked its way up through the US justice system concerning the legal ownership of a painting by Henri Matisse. Portrait of Greta Moll, made in 1908, resides in the stores at London’s National Gallery.

Article: www.art-critique.com

Category News
28 Mar 2019

The Salzburg Global Seminar - this time on the Future of Cultural Heritage

The 416th Session of the Salzburg Global Seminar (SGS) was on the Future of Cultural Heritage and the Hellenic Society for Law and Archaeology was there. Thanks to the Fulbright Foundation in Greece, the co-founder of the HSLA Ira Kaliampetsos took part at this extraordinary session as a Fulbright Fellow. Great insides, new ideas, new partnerships.

More on this Session of the SGS

 

Category News
28 Mar 2019

Italy and China team up to fight looting

Italy and China have agreed to join forces and fight the illegal trafficking of antiquities as part of an agreement signed between the two countries. The Italian government also announced it will return 796 objects that had been illegally exported to Italy from China after a court in Milan ruled last November that the items should be repatriated. The Art Newspaper

 

Category News
26 Mar 2019

Rare Babylonian artefact seized in the UK returned to Iraq

A valuable Babylonian cuneiform stone was handed back to Iraq by the British government on Tuesday, after an attempt to smuggle it into the country was foiled at Heathrow airport. Dating from the second millennium BC, the antiquity is worthy of the world’s greatest museums and valued at hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Source: The National

Category News
20 Mar 2019

China solicits public advice on draft cultural heritage protection regulation

China's Ministry of Justice began Tuesday consulting public opinions on a draft revision to the regulation on the protection of underwater cultural heritage.

Xinhuanet

Category News
11 Mar 2019

Savoy-Sarr report fails to dent tribal market, says Tefaf exhibitor

Didier Claes, who was consulted for the restitution report commissioned by French president Emmanuel Macron, says it has invigorated the market for African art.

Article: The Art Newspaper

Category News
05 Mar 2019

London’s National Army Museum to return emperor's hair to Ethiopia

London’s National Army Museum is to restitute locks of hair of emperor Tewodros, which will now be buried in Ethiopia. Hair is not regarded as “human remains” under UK government guidance for museums (which allows for restitution), but the museum’s council regarded the return as “an opportunity to do something positive diplomatically with Ethiopia”.

Article: The Art Newspaper

Category News
04 Mar 2019

Long in Exile, the Looted Benin Bronzes Tell the Story of a Mighty African Kingdom

The famous Benin bronzes are going home—at least some of them, some of the time. An article by Benjamin Sutton

Article: artsy.net

Category News
04 Mar 2019

China eyes further cooperation with U.S. on relic preservation

China is willing to cooperate further with the United States in relics repatriation and protection, so as to promote a win-win and fair model for the international community at large, a senior Chinese official in charge of relic preservation said recently.

Article: www.xinhuanet.com

Category News
04 Mar 2019

UNESCO - ONLINE TRAININGS

In the framework of the UNESCO-EU partnership, UNESCO has developed two free distinct on-line training courses  on fighting the illicit trafficking of cultural property: one for European Art Market Stakeholders, Academia, Experts and Researchers and one for European Judiciary, Customs and Law Enforcement Officials.

Details: UNESCO

Category News
23 Feb 2019

Holocaust-era art restitution: more complex than you think

 

A rush to judgement has resulted in notable errors, with some "Nazi-looted" art having been purchased legally. An article by Jane Kallir.

 

Article: The Art Newspaper

 

 

Category News
18 Feb 2019

Met hands over an Egyptian coffin that it says was looted

Less than two years after an acquisition, the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced that it had handed over a first-century BC gilded coffin to the Manhattan district attorney for return to the Egyptian government after discovering that it had been looted in 2011.

Article: The Art Newspaper

 

Category News
08 Feb 2019

Museum of Scotland says Egyptian pyramid stone is not stolen

Gordon Rintoul, director of the Museum of Scotland, insisted it had all the correct paperwork to show that a casing stone from the Great Pyramid of Giza was lawfully taken out of Egypt on behalf of Charles Piazzi Smyth nearly 140 years ago.

Source: The Guardian

Category News
06 Feb 2019

Germany allocates €1.9m for museums to research colonial-era acquisitions

An eight-member panel including Bénédicte Savoy will assess grant applications

Article: The Art Newspaper

Category News
06 Feb 2019

The government of UK has announced plans to widen the definition of "treasure".

The UK government has announced plans to widen the definition of treasure. At present, only items that are at least 300 years old and made substantially of gold or silver, or which are found with artefacts of precious metals, can be declared treasure, so long as an owner cannot be found.

                            Article: The Guardian

Category News
03 Feb 2019

Jean-Claude Juncker must close tax loopholes at Luxembourg freeport, MEP says

Members of the European Parliament are stepping up their fight against alleged money laundering and tax evasion through the use of freeports—high-security warehouses which hold art and other valuable assets, such as cars, wine and jewellery, tax free.

Article: The Art Newspaper

Category News
31 Jan 2019

Geneva Summer School - International Cultural Heritage Law

 This years course in International Cultural Heritage Law by the Geneva Summer School will take place on 17 -28 July 2019. It is organized by the Art-Law Centre and the UNESCO Chair in the International Law of the Protection of Cultural Heritage of the University of Geneva, in collaboration with the University of Miami School of Law. We strongly recommend!

More: The Geneva Summer School

Category News
28 Jan 2019

British Museum ‘rules out’ returning Elgin Marbles

The director of the British Museum has appeared to rule out returning the Elgin Marbles to Greece after its government demanded Britain open negotiations over their return last year. 

Article  plus video:Independent

Category News
18 Jan 2019

How to protect Chinese national relics on loan

A museum's lending process has sparked outrage and raised questions. The question of how to protect national treasures on loan to overseas exhibitions is gaining traction on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Article: CGTN.com

Category News
10 Jan 2019

A special unit to protect or retrieve ancient treasures is being formed by the British Army.

The 15-strong Cultural Property Protection Unit will be tasked with retrieving works stolen by terrorists, investigations into looting, the protection of ancient objects and reporting on sites of interest to the British military.

Source: Forces Network

Category News
09 Jan 2019

High court won’t hear lawsuit over art seized during WWII

Heirs of a renowned Jewish art collector won’t be able use U.S courts to sue Hungary’s government for the return of paintings seized during World War II that are worth millions, as the Supreme Court said it wouldn’t take the case. So it seems Hungary is immune from being sued in U.S. courts over the paintings stands.

Article and source: Daily Journal

Category News
07 Jan 2019

A new publication on the damage to cultural heritage in Syria’s Ancient City of Aleppo

Τhe first comprehensive account of the devastation wrought on the World Heritage site of the Ancient City of Aleppo during years of armed conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic has been published by UNESCO and UNITAR.

Text and source: UNESCO

Category News
04 Jan 2019

French antiquities dealers slam ‘shocking’ report on restituting African art

Dealers’ association seeks meeting with culture minister over fears report will open the door to numerous restitution claims for a range of artefacts.

Article: The Art Newspaper

 

Category News
03 Jan 2019

The U.S. art market for stolen antiquities from Yemen must be shut down

Full Article: The Washington Post

 

Category News
31 Dec 2018

Happy New Year - 2019

We wish all our friends a Happy New Year!

Thank you for your support and interest in our work. We will keep on!

The team of HSLA

Category News
31 Dec 2018

“Sophisticated” Art Collectors Are Facing Less Sympathetic Courts

"The rulings highlight the growing scrutiny courts are paying to how art buyers conduct themselves during a transaction, and suggest that due diligence is more important than ever—especially at the top end of the market."

 

Full Article: Artsy net

Category News
30 Dec 2018

The inalienability of public collections

According to The Art Newspaper the so-called Savoy-Sarr report commissioned by President Emmanuel considers the “main obstacle” to restitution  “the inalienability of public collections”.  In other words, works in French national collections cannot be sold or transferred.

Full Article: www.theartnewspaper.com

Category News
29 Dec 2018

The Guardian view on the restitution of cultural property

The Guardian states its view on the return of cultural objects. 

The Guardian: on the restitution of cultural property

 

Category News
29 Dec 2018

German museums 'willing to return' looted colonial objects

France plans to return colonial-era objects to Africa. Other former colonial nations also pondering how to deal with colonial collections. Restitution should not be the focus, a German museum director warns.

Full Article: Deutsche Welle

Category News
26 Dec 2018

7 Important US Art Lawsuits in 2018

Benjamin Sutton wrote an interesting article on “artsy.net” on the 7 biggest us lawsuits in art law for the year 2018.

Link: www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-7-art-lawsuits-2018-art-market

 

Category News
14 Jun 2018

The Getty Will Fight to Keep the Victorious Youth in Los Angeles

The US museum will appeal an Italian court's ruling that the Greek bronze belongs in Italy.

The full article by Artnet News

Category News
14 Jun 2018

Sotheby’s takes Greece to court in antiquities test case

Sotheby’s is taking Greece’s ministry of culture to court over the ownership of an ancient Greek bronze horse, in a highly unusual legal attempt by the auction house “to clarify the rights of legitimate owners” amid a surge in claims by countries of origin.

Full Article

 

 

Category News
14 Jun 2018

German museums pushed to review colonial-era artifacts ‘blind spot’

Germany's new 130-page code of conduct should help museums determine whether colonial-era artifacts were taken unlawfully. But then what?

Article by the "Handelsblatt"

Category News
14 Jun 2018

The US Cultural Property Advisory Committee’s next meeting

The Cultural Property Advisory Committee will meet July 31-August 2, 2018, to review Algeria’s request for U.S. import restrictions on archaeological and ethnological material. The Committee will also consider the proposals to extend the U.S.-Bulgaria cultural property agreement and the U.S.-Honduras cultural property agreement.

More here

Category News
14 Jun 2018

The Victorious Athlete - an ongoing story

An Italian judge ruled on June 1st  that a fourth-century BC Greek statue known as Lysippus after its creator or the Victorious Athlete must be seized wherever in the world it is, rejecting a Malibu Getty Museum appeal. The statue, fished out of the sea off Pesaro in 1964, was bought by the Californian museum for around four million dollars in 1977 from German art dealer Herman Heinz Herzer. Friday's was the third verdict of the same kind by the Pesaro judiciary.
 
Source

Category News
14 Jun 2018

Diploma of Advanced Studies Archéologie classique et droit des biens culturels

The University of Geneva offers a new course in Archéologie classique et droit des biens culturels.

Details


Category News
14 Jun 2018

Greek court upholds Italian art dealer's conviction over rare church murals

An Athens appeals court has upheld an 11-year sentence against a Sicilian art and antiquities dealer convicted over the theft four decades ago of four rare murals from an Early Christian rural church in Steni on Evia.

Source: Article by Kathimerini

 

Category News
06 May 2018

A new court, the Court of Arbitration for Art (CAA) to be formed.

According to the CDR a new arbitration court, to be seated in The Hague, will focus on art-related disputes which have traditionally been at odds with the court litigation process. https://www.cdr-news.com/categories/quinn-emanuel/8176-exclusive-new-arbitration-court-will-tackle-art-disputes

Category News
27 Apr 2018

Christie's recent antiquities sale

ArtNet News

An interesting article on the two of the main problems when it comes to the return of cultural objects: proof of ownership and due diligence. On Artnet News. “An Expert Flagged Two Antiquities Headed for Sale as Suspicious. Christie's recent antiquities sale underscores just how complicated it is to prove certain works are illicit.”

Category News
27 Apr 2018

Angelos Delivorias

Category News
02 Mar 2018

Supreme Court rules that objects from the Persepolis Collection have to stay at Chicago

An important ruling we were waiting for by the US Supreme Court: victims of a 1997 terrorist attack in Jerusalem cannot satisfy their default judgment by seeking possession of antiquities from Iran which have been on loan to the University of Chicago Oriental Institute since 1937.  Attached find the full text of the Ruling Ruling No. 16-534 (U.S.2018)

More on Fox News

Category News
31 Oct 2017

UNESCO and ICCROM Join Forces to Protect Cultural Heritage

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) signed a landmark agreement on Friday 13 October in a new effort to address mounting threats to cultural properties worldwide.

test
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Category News
31 Oct 2017

Saudi Arabia: National Project for Digital Recording of Antiquities shows first successes

The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage announced that it has successfully retrieved more than 52,000 artefacts from inside and outside the country as part of the National Project for Digital Recording of Antiquities, which follows international standards for archaeological recording and archiving.


Source:
Category News
31 Oct 2017

Italy new member of the CoE Convention on Offences relating to Cultural Property

Τhe Minister of Justice of Italy, Andrea Orlando, signed the new Council of Europe Convention on Offences relating to Cultural Property, unofficially also referred to as the “Blood Antiquities” Convention. The Convention on Offences relating to Cultural Property aims to prevent and combat the illicit trafficking and destruction of cultural property, in the framework of the organization’s action to fight terrorism and organized crime. Since Mai 2017 nine countries have signed the Convention: Armenia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, Ukraine and Mexico.  


Details on the convention
Source
31 Oct 2017

Court orders release of Mugrabi family’s art being held 'hostage' by storage firm

A deal has been negotiated in a legal row between Mana Contemporary, an art storage and exhibition complex in New Jersey, and the prominent art dealing Mugrabi dynasty. David Mugrabi filed a complaint in New York Supreme Court on 23 October alleging that the storage company was holding his family’s art “hostage” over an unpaid invoice. At the heart of the case is an invoice for more than $500,000 that Mana says the Mugrabis owe as storage fees.


More
Category News
31 Oct 2017

The Art Newspaper's Weekly podcast on UNESCO.

The Art Newspaper’s weekly podcast this week on why the US and Israel pull out of the organization and what will happen next?
More
Category News
31 Oct 2017

Benin Dialogue Group seeking for a solution for the so called Benin bronzes

The museum consortium, known as the Benin Dialogue Group, formed in 2007, has begun to formulate an action plan “towards the establishment of a permanent display in Benin City”. The Group is seeking a way to end decades of wrangling over the estimated 4,000 bronze and ivory artefacts taken by the British army from what is now southern Nigeria as part of a punitive expedition in 1897.

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Category News
31 Oct 2017

Allegedly looted antiquities on sale at London Frieze Masters art fair

Christos Tsirogiannis, a prominent Cambridge-based forensic archaeologist, identified the marble vases – known as lekythoi and dating from the 4th century BC – as related to the convicted dealer Becchina’s.


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Category News
31 Oct 2017

Islamic State's looting of antiquities is rising but hard facts remain scarce.

Experts question the reported size of illicit trade, particularly as the number of fake artefacts increases.


Read More
Category News
31 Oct 2017

Islamic State's looting of antiquities is rising but hard facts remain scarce

Islamic State's looting of antiquities is rising but hard facts remain scarce
Vincent Noce

In April, Iraqi forces recaptured an empty Mosul Museum from IS fighters. It had been looted and vandalised, although much of its collection was moved to Baghdad in 2014 AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty Images

Confronted with military defeats and loss of revenues, Islamic State (IS) is taking over the sale and smuggling of looted artefacts, according to testimonies collected by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). “Their accounts describe a pattern of trafficking in which ancient objects make their way from archaeological sites to warehouses in Europe and Asia to await sale to dealers in the West… Western security officials say they expect revenue from looted antiquities to become an increasingly important source of money for IS if its other revenue streams, such as oil, continue to dwindle,” the newspaper predicted in an article from 6 August.

Category News
31 Oct 2017

The Art Newspaper's Weekly podcast on UNESCO.

Why did the US and Israel pull out of the organisation and what will happen next? Plus: 9/11 and its impact on art is explored at London’s Imperial War Museum.


Read More
Category News
31 Oct 2017

Benin Dialogue Group seeking for a solution for the so called Benin bronzes

The museum consortium, known as the Benin Dialogue Group, is seeking a way to end decades of wrangling over the estimated 4,000 bronze and ivory artefacts looted by the British army from what is now southern Nigeria as part of a punitive expedition in 1897. Since the 1960s, Nigeria has repeatedly called for their repatriation. The group, formed in 2007, has begun to formulate an action plan “towards the establishment of a permanent display in Benin City”, a university spokesman said. Its members discussed fundraising to support appropriate conservation and security conditions for the objects in Benin City as well as a legal framework that will ensure their immunity from seizure in Nigeria.


Read More
Category News
31 Oct 2017

Benin Dialogue Group seeking for a solution for the so called Benin bronzes

The museum consortium, known as the Benin Dialogue Group, is seeking a way to end decades of wrangling over the estimated 4,000 bronze and ivory artefacts looted by the British army from what is now southern Nigeria as part of a punitive expedition in 1897. Since the 1960s, Nigeria has repeatedly called for their repatriation. The group, formed in 2007, has begun to formulate an action plan “towards the establishment of a permanent display in Benin City”, a university spokesman said. Its members discussed fundraising to support appropriate conservation and security conditions for the objects in Benin City as well as a legal framework that will ensure their immunity from seizure in Nigeria.


Read More
Category News
17 Oct 2017

Lebanon: New law on Protection of Historic Sites and Buildings on its way

According to the Lebanese “The 961” news, the Lebanese Ministry of Culture declared on 13.10.2017 that the new law on Protection of Historic Sites and Buildings got approved by the Council of Ministers. It still needs to make it to the parliament before it is enacted and considered an enforceable law.


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Category News
17 Oct 2017

Audrey Azoulay to be Unesco’s next director-general

In a surprise election, the former French culture minister Audrey Azoulay, considered a dark-horse candidate won the vote of the culture agency’s executive board.

The Art Newspaper Deutsche Welle
Category News
17 Oct 2017

On the situation of illegal trafficking of cultural objects in Ethiopia

Abera Anjulo, a senior expert of the Cultural Heritage Inspection and Standardization Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritages (ARCCH) speaks on the situation of the illegal trafficking in cultural goods in Ethiopia.

The mentioned case of the Maqdala Ethiopian Treasures (mid 19th century) is a case going back to 1999. Read More
Category News
17 Oct 2017

Trump to Withdraw U.S. from UNESCO

The Trump administration announced plans to withdraw from UNESCO citing "anti-Israel bias" as the primary reason for withdrawal. The U.S. seeks to be a nonmember observer of the U.N. agency that designates cultural sites and supports global development programs such as literacy and clean water. Artsy Net publishes a good article on the consequences.

ARTSY NET
Category News
17 Oct 2017

A 2,300-year-old marble sculpture of a bull’s head will be returned to Lebanon

A Colorado couple has dropped a federal lawsuit that sought to stop the Manhattan district attorney’s office from returning to the Republic of Lebanon an ancient marble bull’s head that prosecutors said had been looted during that country’s civil war. The collectors, Lynda and William Beierwaltes, had argued that they bought the artifact in good faith for more than $1 million in 1996.

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Category News
16 Oct 2017

Hermitage Museum and UNESCO signed a memorandum on protection of cultural objects in armed conflict zones

According to TASS Russia’s State Hermitage Museum and UNESCO have inked a memorandum on cooperating to protect items of cultural value in armed conflict zones, in particular, in the Middle East. It was signed by Hermitage Museum Director General, Mikhail Piotrovsky, and UNESCO Head Irina Bokova.

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Category News
16 Oct 2017

A new antiquities bill in India causes discussions

A new antiquities bill in India causes discussions over abolishing the requirement for a special licence for selling antiquities. According to “The Print” there has been a long-running debate over free market and state control and officials might have found themselves under pressure from the art collectors’ lobby.

Category News

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