News and Conferences
New Case Note on the German-Russian Cultural Stalemate
A Case Note on the so-called Baldin Collection from the Kunsthalle Bremen is now online. It analyses one of the most debated cases between Russia and Germany that is still ongoing.
Looted art returned to Afghanistan
"The British Museum has assisted in the return of 843 artefacts to Afghanistan, almost 20 years after they were stolen or smuggled abroad. The items include examples of the Begram Ivories, seen at the British Museum's Afghanistan 2011 exhibition, and an important sculpture of Buddha."
Stolen Treasures Returned from Germany to Russia
"Treasures stolen from a Russian museum during WWII have found their way back home. Two crates with hundreds of rare exhibits stolen in 1941 were voluntarily returned to Russia by a Wehrmacht doctor’s son."
Italian Court Upholds Claim on Getty Bronze
"An Italian court has upheld an order for the seizure of a masterpiece of the J. Paul Getty Museum's antiquities collection, finding that the bronze statue of a victorious athlete was illegally exported from Italy before the museum purchased it for $4 million in 1976. The ruling Thursday by a regional magistrate in Pesaro will likely prolong the legal battle over the statue, a signature piece of the Getty's embattled antiquities collection whose return Italian authorities have sought for years." - Jason Felch
Durham University Archaeology Society Conference 2012
Whose Past? An Interdisciplinary debate on the repatriation of artefacts and reburial of human remains Saturday April 28th 2012 10am-5pm Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, Dawson Building, Durham University Science Site Durham University Archaeology Society presents a one day interdisciplinary conference to be held at Durham University involving the Archaeology, Anthropology, Philosophy and Law departments from Durham and Newcastle University and selected guest speakers. This year's theme 'Whose Past? An Interdisciplinary debate on the repatriation of artefacts and reburial of human remains' aims to generate a stimulating debate about the ownership and ethical principles associated with two types of archaeological material; artefacts and human remains, with the focus on the repatriation of artefacts and reburial of human remains.
Stolen Cezanne found by Serbian police
"A Cezanne painting stolen in a raid on a Swiss museum in 2008 has been recovered in Serbia. Authorities have not named the painting, but local media have reported it is The Boy in the Red Vest, which was taken from Zurich's Emil Buehrle Collection."
Jewish Art Dealer’s Heir Settles Nazi-Era Claim With Bonn Museum
"A Bonn museum settled a claim for a painting by Paul Adolf Seehaus with the heir of Alfred Flechtheim, one of Germany’s most prominent modern-art dealers until he fled Berlin and the Nazis in 1933."
Nazi-Seized Klee Goes to Court After Munich Rejects Talks
"The heirs of a German art historian who emigrated to the Soviet Union in 1927 filed a legal claim against the city of Munich for a Paul Klee painting that they say was stolen from their grandmother by the Nazis."
Cache of Sunken Coins Returned to Spain
"The US Supreme Court denied a Florida marine salvage company's appeal over $500m treasure from a sunken Spanish ship. A trove of gold and silver coins valued at $500m has been handed over to Spain following the US Supreme Court’s refusal to hear an emergency appeal from the Florida-based ocean salvage company, Odyssey Marine Exploration, which had asked the court to block a lower court decision that ordered the company to hand over the treasure. Odyssey had been locked in a legal battle over the cache since it was salvaged from international waters around 100 miles off the Straits of Gibraltar in March 2007." - Emily Sharpe
We Don’t Own that Modigliani
"The news that the billionaire New York art dealers David Nahmad and his son Helly were being sued for the return of a 1918 work by Modigliani allegedly looted by the Nazis made it to the British and American tabloid press in November. Now, in a legal twist, lawyers acting on behalf of the Nahmad family say that the case is unfounded because the Manhattan-based Helly Nahmad Gallery does not own the work. In court papers, the Nahmads’ legal team says instead that an organisation called the International Art Center (IAC) possesses the piece and that 'Helly Nahmad Gallery never owned the painting [which] is not in New York State… the plaintiff has sued the wrong defendant.' But lawyers for Philippe Maestracci, who is claiming Modigliani’s Seated Man with a Cane, contend that the 'International Art Center is an offshore entity used by the Nahmad defendants as an instrumentality to hold their interests in works, around 90% of which are held in an art storage facility at the free port of Geneva.' They add that the art centre’s holdings are estimated at between $3bn and $4bn." - Gareth Harris
Settlement was found between the Kunstmuseum Basel and the Malevich heirs
The Kunstmuseum Basel and the Government of the Canton of Basel-Stadt have come to an agreement with the heirs of the famous Russian artist Kazimir Malevich ending the heirs' claim to several works by Malevich, including the two gouaches "The Washing Woman" and "Landscape with Red Houses" as well as another approximately 60 works of art, according to the heirs' attorneys. Pursuant to their agreement, one of the requested works will be returned to the heirs ("Landscape with Red Houses") in honour of the heirs' claim and legacy of the artist, while the remaining works will stay at the Kunstmuseum Basel.
Native American Basket Voluntarily Returned to the Yakama Nation Museum
Fascinated by the Yakama tribe, Paul Cary purchased a basket that was donated to the tribe in 1966 by an adopted member of the Yakama Nation. Research on the authenticity and provenance of the basket revealed that it was stolen from the Yakama Nation Museum between 2006 and 2007. Cary therefore returned the basket to the dealer in exchange for the paid price.
Court Forfeits Cristo Portacroce After Italy Does Not File A Claim
"The United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida has ordered the forfeiture of the painting, the Cristo Portacroce Trascinato Da Un Manigoldo. The court issued the default judgment once the previous possessors, Italy and its Brera Art Gallery, failed to make a claim for the return of the artwork."
A detective’s work at the MFA
"Enter Victoria Reed, the MFA’s curator of provenance. Her job, which is almost as rare in the museum world as is the medallion, is to research works with questionable histories both in the collection and on the MFA’s shopping list. As a result, Reed’s other job is to break curators’ hearts." - Geoff Edgers
Coin dealers alerted by INTERPOL over illegal sales of ancient Roman treasures
"Specialist dealers and collectors are being warned about the illegal sale of the so-called ‘Lava Treasure’ of ancient Roman gold coins and plates after a number of items were recovered from the open market. INTERPOL and French police are working to recover the ancient coins".
A Roman head is voluntarily returned to Libya by an Italian Collector
When the Roman head was offered at auction by Christie's, an archeologist warned the auction house that it was stolen from Libya. After the sale, Christie's obtained additional information about the head and decided to cancel the sale. With the assistance of the auction house, the head was ultimately returned to Libya by the buyer, an italian collector, who was reimbused by Christie's.
Interpol confirms Libyan treasure was looted
"Interpol has alerted police forces to the theft of the so-called “Benghazi Treasure”, which was stolen from a bank vault in the city on 25 May. The theft of thousands of antiquities went unpublicised at the time, some three months after rebel forces had seized Benghazi from troops loyal to the late Muammar Gaddafi." - Martin Bailey
The Getty Museum is in a legal fight over Armenian Bible pages
"The J. Paul Getty Trust failed Thursday to derail a lawsuit by the Armenian Orthodox Church that accuses the museum of harboring stolen illuminated medieval manuscripts — 755-year-old works that are masterpieces and, to the church, spiritually and historically sacred. After a brief hearing, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Abraham Khan denied the Getty's motion to dismiss the claim. The museum's attorneys argued that the deadline for filing the suit had passed decades ago under the statute of limitations. But the judge said that's "not clear" and ordered four months of mediation, scheduling a March 2 resumption if the case isn't settled".
Museums' Hidden Treasures
"Like everywhere in the world, also in Turin each museum exhibits only a small, sometimes very small part of their collections. One fifth at the Egyptian Museum, less than a tenth at Palazzo Madama. And the example of the Met and the Hermitage, the idea makes its way to open to the public spaces and underground deposits".
Document Actions
