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| Google Earth Image of Leptis Magna, one of Libya’s Important Heritage Sites |
- UNESCO is warning the art and antiquities trade to be “particularly wary of objects from Libya in the present circumstances”.
- Is art theft on the rise?
- Prof. Jen Kreder has a number of strong criticisms of the Department of Justice with respect to its positions on Nazi-era restitution suits in an Op-Ed for the Detroit Free Press.
- More on the long-running dispute between George Grosz’s successors and the Museum of Modern Art.
- How many Degas sculptures are authentic? Are Degas heirs “rubber-stamping” these works for a share of the proceeds?
- Two very different reports of a recent appearance by representatives from the FBI’s Art Theft Program at a gathering of the Antique Tribal Art Dealers Association. One report in the Santa Fe New Mexican said David Kice “drew laughs” when he asked for help identifying illicit artifacts. Another AP report says the laughs were drawn when the FBI revealed it paid $2,800 for four prayer stones which would have been lucky to fetch $100. Dace Hyatt argued the government “was clearly inducing felony charges with an erroneous value system”. Another account from Kate Fitz Gibbon suggests the AP article had a more accurate depiction.
- Museum staff in Baghdad are really struggling to create an inventory of the Baghdad Museum’s collection—what is not mentioned is that many museums have not completed a complete inventory, it is expensive and time-consuming.
Questions or Comments? Email me at derek.fincham@gmail.com
