Posted on: September 27, 2023 by Hugh Johnson-Gilbert
Last week the V&A announced that it had reached an agreement with the Republic of Yemen (‘Yemen’) to research and temporarily care for four ancient carved funerary stelae that had been discovered by an archaeology enthusiast in an interior design shop in East London. The museum’s announcement explained that the objects, dated to the second […]
Posted on: May 25, 2021 by Alexander Herman
The UK government last week began the process to repeal a prohibition on the import of cultural goods unlawfully removed from their country of origin. Seeing as this repeal could potentially damage the reputation of the UK’s art market, one expert body is urging the UK to take additional measures to minimise any risks associated […]
Posted on: February 20, 2017 by Alexander Herman
A 16th century painting by Jacopo Pontormo, Portrait of a Young Man in a Red Cap, which had been subject to an export deferral beginning in December 2015, is now stuck in cultural export limbo. This is because the owner of the portrait, American billionaire J. T. Hill, has refused a matching offer from a British institution, The National Gallery, […]
Posted on: January 12, 2016 by Alexander Herman
As of last month, the UK has brought into force the necessary regulations to implement the 2014/60 EU Directive on the return of cultural objects unlawfully removed from the territory of a Member State. In fact, the deadline for all EU Member States to bring about this change in their national law was 18 December 2015. […]
Posted on: March 31, 2015 by Ruth Redmond-Cooper
On Wednesday 13 May 2015 from 2-5.30 pm there will be an Institute of Art & Law seminar in association with Maurice Turnor Gardner LLP held at the firm’s London offices in Milton Street EC2Y 9BH. The seminar will explore the legal issues surrounding international art transactions, covering questions of title, customs duties and freeports, working with foreign […]
Posted on: November 19, 2014 by Alexander Herman
The US Congress will soon be entertaining a Bill, proposed last Thursday, that seeks to offer protection for endangered Syrian cultural objects and that would set up a Coordinator for International Cultural Property Protection (what American cultural heritage lawyer Rick St. Hilaire calls a cultural property protection “czar”). These are of course welcome developments. The protection […]
Posted on: May 22, 2014 by Alexander Herman
The European Council’s 1993 Directive on the return of cultural objects unlawfully removed from the territory of a Member State (93/7/EEC) will soon be recast. The proposed updated Directive was approved by the European Parliament and Council on 15 May 2014. The changes involve: Extending the scope of cultural objects covered to include all nationally designated cultural objects (not just those listed […]