[CPProt.net] How to make sales of illegially acquired artifacts difficult?

Mon Apr 14 17:46:04 CEST 2003

Well put, Robert-
I notice that a lot of the people on this list hold key positions in the museum and security world. How do we make an impact on the sale of stolen objects like those from Iraq? One presumes that wide distribution of information on catalogued pieces might be of help, and insisting on firm provenance, but lesser items, like, for example, small cuneiform tablets, are everywhere now. How can newly looted pieces that that be impacted?
Christopher Seal
 "Goldsmith, Robert" <GOLDSMITH at frick.org> wrote:I have no wish to get overly involved in this hornets nest of a discussion.

Just to keep everyone on track however, for the record, rightly or wrongly
(and this in itself is an interesting discussion -- and I have heard
effective arguments on both sides), the United States is not a signatory to
the 1954 Hague Convention.

Perhaps we should be focusing our energies on addressing the real problem
instead of exchanging barbs and apportioning blame. The antiquities world
is going to be awash in looted objects in the coming years. How do we make
the case internationally to pressure the private sector to adhere to the
legal and ethical guidelines (Hague, AIA, AAM, ICOM etc.) that the majority
of subscribers to this list are already sworn and committed to uphold? 

Let's be a force for positive change, shall we?

******************************************************
Robert B. Goldsmith
Deputy Director
The Frick Collection, 1 E. 70th Street, New York, NY 10021
Tel: 212-547-6857; Fax: 212-861-7347; e-mail: goldsmith at frick.org
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to
which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged
material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or
taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or
entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received
this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any
computer.
********************************************************

-----Original Message-----
From: Jorgen Wadum [mailto:wadum.j at MAURITSHUIS.NL]
Sent: Monday, April 14, 2003 8:45 AM
To: list at cpprot.net
Subject: [CPProt.net] ICOM-CC appalled by looting in Iraq.

ICOM-CC appalled by looting in Iraq.

The International Council of Museums - Committee for Conservation (ICOM-CC)
is witnessing the looting and damage of cultural property in the aftermath
of war in Iraq with the utmost concern. 

When ICOM-CC (Feb 25, 2003) and shortly after the International Committee of
the Blue Shield (ICBS) as well as other international organisations warned
about the consequences of war, we stressed our concern for "... the
prospects of possible damage to our shared cultural heritage and loss of
human life as a result of armed conflicts."

ICOM-CC, with many other international organisations, must now again stress
how significant and crucial The Hague Convention is to all regimes. It is
imperative that all parties in Iraq realise their responsibilities towards
cultural property.

In the "Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of
Armed Conflict", drawn up in The Hague, 14 May 1954, and entered in force 7
August 1956, Paragraph I. "General provisions regarding protection", Article
4. "Respect for cultural property" section 3 reads: 

"The High Contracting Parties further undertake to prohibit, prevent and, if
necessary, put a stop to any form of theft, pillage or misappropriation of,
and any acts of vandalism directed against, cultural property. They shall
refrain from requisitioning movable cultural property situated in the
territory of another High Contracting Party."

ICOM-CC will hold all so-called Coalition Force Partners accountable for the
looting and damage to cultural property in Iraq.

Further paragraph X, "Protocol for the Protection of Cultural Property in
the Event of Armed Conflict", article 1, reads: "The High Contracting
Parties are agreed as follows: 1. Each High Contracting Party undertakes to
prevent the exportation, from a territory occupied by it during an armed
conflict, of cultural property as defined in Article 1 of the Convention for
the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, signed
at The Hague on 14 May, 1954."

Article 3 expands on this role by saying: "Each High Contracting Party
undertakes to return, at the close of hostilities, to the competent
authorities of the territory previously occupied, cultural property which is
in its territory, if such property has been exported in contravention of the
principle laid down in the first paragraph. Such property shall never be
retained as war reparations."

ICOM-CC urges the so-called Coalition Forces to act according to The Hague
Convention. There simply is no excusable exception for not following these
universal rules of civilised conduct.

ICOM-CC hopes that inventories of the holdings of looted Iraq museums as
soon as possible can be distributed to Interpol and also widely (via
e-lists) to the entire museum world in order to identify these stolen
antiquities in the market for their restitution or seizure.

On behalf of ICOM - Committee for Conservation (ICOM-CC),

Jørgen Wadum
Chair ICOM-CC

ICOM-CC is the largest of the international committees under the
International Council of Museums (ICOM) with members' world-wide from every
branch of the museum and conservation profession.
ICOM is a non-governmental organisation maintaining formal relations with
UNESCO and having a consultative status with the United Nations' Economic
and Social Council. 
ICOM-CC Secretariat, 13, via San Michele , 00153 Rome, ITALY ; Tel.: + 39 06
58 55 34 10 ; Fax: + 39 06 58 55 33 49 ; E-mail: secretariat at icom-cc.org

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Change ICOM-L subscription options, unsubscribe, and search the
archives at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/icom-l.html

______________

Cultural Property Protection Net
http://www.cpprot.net/
subscribe at cpprot.net
unsubscribe at cpprot.net
list adress: list at cpprot.net
off list: moderator at cpprot.net
http://www.museum-security.org/
http://www.hansholbein.nl/basic_en.html
__________________
______________

Cultural Property Protection Net
http://www.cpprot.net/
subscribe at cpprot.net
unsubscribe at cpprot.net
list adress: list at cpprot.net
off list: moderator at cpprot.net
http://www.museum-security.org/
http://www.hansholbein.nl/basic_en.html
__________________
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://duvel.te.verweg.com/pipermail/cpprot/attachments/20030414/8ee1b674/attachment.htm 