Posted on: October 22, 2015 by Janet Ulph
A dispute over a highly attractive marble statue sparked headlines in the national press in early September 2015. It had been seized by Customs officers and kept in the British Museum for safekeeping during the legal proceedings. The District Judge, John Zani, had examined the statue there before coming to a decision that it had been […]
Posted on: September 10, 2015 by Ana Laura Blanco
This week the European Parliament debated and adopted a report on the future of cultural heritage in Europe. The report highlighted the economic importance of cultural heritage and pointed the way towards further European legislation in this field. In May 2014, EU Culture Ministers called for the “mainstreaming of cultural heritage in national and European policies” and “the development of […]
Posted on: April 2, 2015 by Alexander Herman
Last month, the UK government finally responded to the Department for Culture Media & Sport’s consultation regarding changes to the cultural object export licensing system which took place between May and August 2012. The response indicated the changes that will be brought about to the export system and which have already been incorporated by the Arts Council in […]
Posted on: March 30, 2015 by Alexander Herman
With an end of March deadline looming, the UK government and the British Museum have at last responded to UNESCO’s request to enter into mediation with Greece regarding the future treatment of the Elgin (or Parthenon) Marbles. The request was made on 9 August 2013 at the behest of Greece (both the UK and Greece are members […]
Posted on: February 27, 2015 by Alexander Herman
A complaint was filed this week in a US court which seeks the return of the Guelph Treasure, a famous collection of German medieval items, currently held by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. The complaint is being brought by descendants of the one-time Jewish owners of the treasure, who had to part with it in 1935. The collection had […]
Posted on: February 25, 2015 by Alexander Herman
It is an iconic work by the great Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuși (pronounced, in true Romanian form, as ‘Brancoush’). It is a sculpture of a naked woman with her arms folded, her knees pulled close. It is entitled The Wisdom of the Earth. And now it is at the centre of yet another legal ‘dispute’ involving the Romanian state and […]
Posted on: September 26, 2014 by Ruth Redmond-Cooper
As previously hinted at, there will be an Institute of Art and Law Study Forum in London on Saturday, October 18 2014, from 10.00 to 5.00. The Study Forum will provide a unique foray into the different areas of law that intersect with art and cultural heritage. The presenters at the event and the titles to their papers […]
Posted on: September 5, 2014 by Ruth Redmond-Cooper
Yesterday’s Acts of Grace seminar on the voluntary return of cultural property was held at the historic Church of St Olave in Hart Street, a jewel amidst the bustle of London’s City. Papers were presented by a variety of speakers on a variety of topics. They were as follows: The colourful story of St Olave’s by Reverend […]
Posted on: January 10, 2014 by Ruth Redmond-Cooper
The Government has announced that the Lake District will be put forward as the UK’s next nomination for World Heritage status under the UNESCO 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. The purpose of this Convention was to establish “an effective system of collective protection of the cultural and natural […]
Posted on: November 29, 2013 by Ruth Redmond-Cooper
The Cypriot antiquities department has announced the return of approximately 170 religious artefacts stolen from churches in the north of the island following the Turkish invasion – said to be the largest number of cultural objects ever repatriated. The antiquities, which consist of icons, mosaics and fragments of wall paintings, were found in the possession of Turkish […]