From museum-security at museum-security.org Tue Jan 4 21:08:26 2005 From: museum-security at museum-security.org (MusSecNetworkCulPropProtNet) Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2005 21:08:26 +0100 Subject: [CPProt.net] =?iso-8859-1?q?Alle_Spuren_f=FChren_nach_St=2E_Loui?= =?iso-8859-1?q?s=3B___Stuttgarter_Staatsgalerie_und_Sotheby=27s_st?= =?iso-8859-1?q?reiten_um_US-Beutekunst?= Message-ID: <20050104200828.GJXA24449.amsfep12-int.chello.nl@cremers> 04.01.2005 Alle Spuren f?hren nach St. Louis (Google translation at the end of this report; please do realize these automated translations lead to very weid language constructions, but all together the contents of the original German language report will be understandable for non-German speakers) Wem geh?rt das "Augsburger Geschlechterbuch"? Die Stuttgarter Staatsgalerie und Sotheby's streiten um US-Beutekunst Dass ein gro?es Auktionshaus einen Kunden vor Gericht zerrt, geschieht schon selten. Dass die Klage erst eingereicht wird, nachdem das Unternehmen von diesem Kunden ein wertvolles Buch zur Auktion angenommen hat, dessen R?ckgabe nun ?ber diplomatische Kan?le von einem deutschen Bundesland gefordert wird, macht die Angelegenheit zur peinlichen Aff?re -- denn der Vorgang spricht nicht gerade f?r eine sorgf?ltige Angebotspr?fung im Vorfeld. Dabei h?tte das Auktionshaus schnell als Raubgut erkennen k?nnen, was der aus Saint Louis, Missouri, stammende Buchh?ndler Rod Shene im M?rz 2004 einlieferte. Das "Augsburger Geschlechterbuch", eine von Heinrich Vogtherr zusammengestellte b?rgerliche Sammlung von Zeichnungen und Stichen aus dem 16. Jahrhundert, trug noch den Inventarstempel des K?niglichen Kupferstichkabinetts Stuttgart, als Shene es in die New Yorker Hauptfiliale von Sotheby's brachte. Hinweise darauf, dass sich das Kupferstichkabinett, das heute zur Stuttgarter Staatsgalerie geh?rt, freiwillig von dem Konvolut getrennt haben k?nnte, gab es nicht. Tats?chlich wurde die wertvolle Bl?ttersammlung, die unter anderem Grafiken von Hans Burgkmair dem ?lteren enth?lt, am Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs im Auslagerungsort Waldenburg gestohlen. Der T?ter war vermutlich ein amerikanischer GI namens John Hewitt D., der gleich mehrfach zugegriffen zu haben scheint. Ermittlungen der US-Beh?rden haben inzwischen ergeben, dass nach seinem Tod vor etwa zehn Jahren eine ganze Reihe von B?chern aus ehemals Stuttgarter Besitz angeboten worden waren. Vor zwei Jahren erhielt die Staatsgalerie schon einmal ein am Kriegsende verlorenes Buch f?r den Bruchteil seines Wertes zur?ck; es war damals per Ebay ebenfalls aus St. Louis angeboten worden. Vor anderthalb Jahren tauchte dann das "Augsburger Geschlechterbuch" erstmals in den USA wieder auf -- als es dem Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York gezeigt wurde. Wer bei Sotheby's die Grafikbl?ttersammlung eingeliefert hat, wollte das Auktionshaus unter Hinweis auf seine Gesch?ftsprinzipien nicht preisgeben. Ohnehin, sagt der deutsche Kulturattach? in New York, Hubert Kolb, verhalte sich das Unternehmen "nicht kooperativ. Man mauert dort. Ich durfte das Buch bislang nicht einmal ansehen". Trotzdem fand die deutsche Seite den Namen heraus. Inzwischen fordert die Stuttgarter Staatsgalerie, mit diplomatischer Unterst?tzung durch das deutsche Generalkonsulat in New York, das Geschlechterbuch zur?ck. Auch das US-Heimatschutzministerium ermittelt. Als Sotheby's im April 2004 in Stuttgart schriftlich nach der Herkunft des "Augsburger Geschlechterbuches" fragte, schien der Staatsgalerie allerdings der eigene Anspruch selbst noch nicht klar zu sein. Ein leitender Mitarbeiter teilte Sotheby's freim?tig mit, nach deutschem Recht k?nne man das Buch nicht zur?ckfordern -- es bliebe wohl nur der R?ckkauf. Der Finderlohn Diese tats?chlich unzutreffende Position hat das Baden-W?rttembergische Ministerium f?r Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst inzwischen in New York zu korrigieren versucht. Shene zog ?ber seinen New Yorker Anwalt John R. Cahill bereits eine eigene Klage zur?ck, mit der sein Eigentum am Geschlechterbuch festgestellt werden sollte. Entsprechend nerv?s reagiert nun Sotheby's auf den vom deutschen Staat nachdr?cklich angemeldeten R?ckgabeanspruch. Vor wenigen Tagen hat das Auktionshaus vor dem Gericht des s?dlichen Distrikts von New York beantragt, feststellen zu lassen, wer der legitime Eigent?mer des "Augsburger Geschlechterbuches" sei. Rod Shene wird von einem Anwalt vertreten, der schon einmal in einen Streit verwickelt war, bei dem es um ein bei Sotheby's eingeliefertes wertvolles Gem?lde von Ferdinand Georg Waldm?ller aus der Berliner Nationalgalerie ging; der Anwalt verf?gt angeblich ?ber gute Beziehungen zur Rechtsabteilung des Unternehmens. Eine g?tliche Einigung ist bislang unter anderem daran gescheitert, dass Sotheby's den Wert des Objekts mit mindestens 600 000 Dollar beziffert, w?hrend die Staatsgalerie von h?chstens 30 000 Dollar ausgeht. W?rde man dem Einlieferer Rod Shene -- wie in solchen F?llen ?blich, um die Sache m?glichst ger?uschlos zu erledigen -- einen "Finderlohn" bezahlen, so betr?ge er zehn Prozent des Marktwertes, also entweder stolze 60 000 oder aber nur bescheidene 3000 Dollar. Einer unabh?ngigen Sch?tzung hat Sotheby's bislang nicht zugestimmt. Rod Shene selbst erwarb das Buch den Recherchen der US-Beh?rden zufolge im Juni 2001 f?r gerade einmal 3800 Dollar. STEFAN KOLDEHOFF (SZ vom 4.1.2005) Google translation: All traces lead to Saint Louis. To whom does the "Augsburger sex book" belong? The Stuttgart state gallery and Sotheby's argue about US booty art that a large auction house a customer before court pull, happen already rarely. The fact that the complaint is only submitted, after the enterprise of this customer accepted a valuable book for auction, whose return is demanded now over diplomatic channels by a German Land of the Federal Republic, makes the affair the embarrassing affair -- the procedure does not speak straight for a careful offer examination in the apron. The auction house could have recognized fast as robbery property, what from Saint the Louis, Missouri, coming booksellers Rod Shene in March 2004 in-supplied. The "Augsburger sex book", a civil collection of designs and passes from that, arranged by Heinrich Vogtherr, 16. Century, carried still the inventory temple of the royal copper pass cabinet Stuttgart, when Shene brought it into the New Yorker main branch of Sotheby's. There were not referring to it that the copper pass cabinet, which belongs today to the Stuttgart state gallery could have separated voluntarily from the Konvolut. The valuable sheet collection, which contains among other things diagrams of Hans Burgkmair the older one, at the end of the Second World War in the paging place forest castle was actually stolen. The author was probably an American GI named John Hewitt D, which seems to have accessed directly several times. Determinations of the US authorities resulted in in the meantime that after its death before approximately ten years a whole set of books from formerly Stuttgart possession had been offered. Before two years the state gallery received already once a book for the fraction of its value, lost at the end of war, back; it had been likewise offered at that time by Ebay from pc. Louis. Before one and a half years then the "Augsburger sex book" emerged for the first time in the USA again -- when it was shown the metropolitan museum OF kind in New York. Who in-supplied the diagram sheet collection with Sotheby's, the auction house did not want to abandon under reference to its business principles. Anyway, the German Kulturattach? in New York, says Hubert Kolb, does not behave the enterprise "not cooperatively. One bricks there. I was not even allowed to regard the book so far ". Nevertheless the German side found the name out. In the meantime the Stuttgart state gallery, with diplomatic support by the German Consulate General in New York, reclaims the sex book. Also the US preservation of regional tradition Ministry determines. When Sotheby's asked in writing in April 2004 in Stuttgart for the origin of the "Augsburger of sex book", the state gallery however the own requirement did not seem to be clear yet. A leading coworker communicated Sotheby's frankly, after German right can one the book not reclaim -- probably only the buy-back would remain. The Finderlohn this actually unfounded position tried the bathe Baden-Wuerttembergi Ministry for science, research and art to correct in the meantime in New York. Shene withdrew already its own complaint, with which its property at the sex book should be determined over his New Yorker lawyer John R. Cahill. According to nervously now Sotheby's reacts to the requirement for return announced seriously by the German state. Few days ago the auction house before the court of the southern district of New York requested, tightens to leave, who the legitimate owner of the "Augsburger of sex book" is. Rod Shene from a lawyer is represented, who was complicated already once into a controversy, with whom it around a valuable painting in-supplied with Sotheby's from Ferdinand George forest Mueller out of the citizens of Berlin national gallery went; the lawyer has allegedly good relations with the legal department of the enterprise. An amicable agreement failed so far among other things because of the fact that Sotheby's numbers the value of the object with at least 600,000 dollar, while the state gallery proceeds from at the most 30,000 dollar. If one would pay a "Finderlohn" to the deliverer Rod Shene -- as in such cases usually, in order to settle the thing as noiseless as possible --, then he would amount to ten per cent of the market value, thus either proud 60,000 or but only modest 3000 dollar. An independent estimation Sotheby's did not agree so far. Rod Shene acquired the book the searches of the US authorities according to in June 2001 for straight once 3800 dollar. STEFAN KOLDEHOFF From museum-security at museum-security.org Wed Jan 5 06:54:10 2005 From: museum-security at museum-security.org (MusSecNetworkCulPropProtNet) Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2005 06:54:10 +0100 Subject: [CPProt.net] SAFE (Saving Antiquities For Everyone) will exhibit at the 2005 Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America (Roger Atwood will lead a "Stolen History Tours" at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts) Message-ID: <20050105055412.RTPC22540.amsfep16-int.chello.nl@cremers> From: Cindy Ho [mailto:cho at savingantiquities.org] Sent: 05 January 2005 06:23 To: cpprot at te.verweg.com Subject: SAFE EXHIBITS AT AIA SAFE (Saving Antiquities For Everyone) will exhibit at the 2005 Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America at the Sheraton Boston Hotel from Thursday to Sunday (January 6 -9) with a lineup of special events at the Booth (Number 55): Documentary film On the Trail of the Tomb Robbers (Heritage for Sale) Screening times: 4 pm Thursday, January 6 and 10 am Friday, Saturday and Sunday, January 7 to 9 Friday, January 7. 2:00 p.m.: Micah Garen and Marie-Helene Carleton, documentarians and journalists will show images and answer questions about the looting situation in Iraq and discuss opportunities to help support protection of sites in the South. Saturday, January 8. 10:00 a.m.: Grafton County Attorney Rick St. Hilaire will speak about the federal and state criminal laws that cover looted archaeological materials smuggled into the U.S. and the significant challenges faced by prosecutors bringing looters to justice. Saturday, January 8. 12:30 - 1:30 p.m.: Roger Atwood, author of Stealing History will give a presentation, sign copies of his book, and answer questions. Saturday, January 8. 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.: Professor John Malcolm Russell will discuss looting and conservation issues in Iraq Saturday, January 8. 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.: Classical Archaeologist Dr. Marina Papa-Sokal will discuss international legislation for the protection of the world's cultural heritage and answer questions Saturday, January 8. 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.: SAFE will host an open reception at the Sheraton Boston Hotel in recognition of the participants in the workshop "Iraq 2004- 2005". Details will be available at the SAFE booth. Sunday, January 9. 10:30 and 12;30 p.m.: Roger Atwood will lead one of his popular SAFE-sponsored "Stolen History Tours" at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. He will speak about archaeological artifacts of dubious provenance in the Museum's galleries. There is a charge for this tour. SAFE is a nonprofit coalition of professionals in communications, media, and advertising working together with experts in the academic and museum community. SAFE's mission is to increase public awareness of the importance of preserving cultural heritage worldwide. Through projects in education, advertising, advocacy and cultural tourism, SAFE highlights the issues related to cultural heritage and its vulnerability to looting and the illicit antiquities trade. For further information, visit http://www.savingantiquities.org/j-safe-safe-events.htm or contact Cindy Ho 917/916-5748, cho at savingantiquities.org From museum-security at museum-security.org Thu Jan 6 06:59:45 2005 From: museum-security at museum-security.org (MusSecNetworkCulPropProtNet) Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2005 06:59:45 +0100 Subject: [CPProt.net] January 6, 2005: Israel releases name suspect in alleged antiquities fraud; UK hands over 30 Iranian ancient artifacts; India, Post-theft scurry for magic eye; Stolen calligraphy recovered in Beijing; Looting of Iraq's Antiquities Continues; Breitwieser Message-ID: <20050106055946.VPWQ1537.amsfep14-int.chello.nl@cremers> January 6, 2005 ___________________________________________ - Israel releases name of fifth suspect in alleged antiquities fraud - UK hands over 30 Iranian ancient artifacts - As in Calcutta, so in London: Pilferers strike in V&A Museum on the same day - India, Post-theft scurry for magic eye - Stolen calligraphy recovered in Beijing - Cultural Leaders say Looting of Iraq's Antiquities Continues - France, Breitwieser: What did this man's mother do when he stole these valuable artworks? A: She dumped them in the canal __________________________________________ Israel releases name of fifth suspect in alleged antiquities fraud 10:55 AM EST Jan 04 JERUSALEM (AP) - The former head of the antiquities laboratory at the distinguished Israel Museum is the fifth suspect in a sophisticated forgery ring that allegedly produced a treasure trove of fake Bible-era artifacts, a government official and museum spokeswoman said Monday. Justice Ministry spokesman Uri Steinberg identified the man as Rafael Braun. He said he was the fifth person appearing on an indictment that was handed down by a Jerusalem court last week. Police said the ring forged what were presented as perhaps the two biggest biblical discoveries in the Holy Land in recent years - the purported burial box of Jesus's brother James and a stone tablet with written instructions by King Yoash on maintenance work at the Jewish Temple. Braun's name was withheld during a five-day effort by the court to track him down, Steinberg said. A court official could not say whether Braun had been located. An Israel Museum spokeswoman confirmed that Braun was employed at the museum as the head of the antiquities laboratories, but left in the late 1970s or early 1980s. Speaking on condition of anonymity, an Israeli antiquities expert said Braun was living in Switzerland, where he worked as an antiquities restorer. The indictment accused Braun and antiquities collector Shlomo Cohen of attempting to forge an inscription on an ostracon - a fragment of limestone pottery - from the period of the kingdoms of Judea, which lasted from the 10th to sixth century B.C. "During or close to 1995 the two accused men formed a conspiracy to forge an ostracon with the purpose that it would constitute an ostracon with an inscription from the period of the Judean kingdoms," the indictment said. "The accused did this for financial benefit." Beside Braun and Cohen, the Israeli accused three other men in the antiquities frauds-Tel Aviv collector Oded Golan; Robert Deutsch, an inscriptions expert who teaches at Haifa University; and antiquities dealer Faiz al-Amaleh. http://www.cbc.ca/ ________________________________ UK hands over 30 Iranian ancient artifacts Persian Journal Iran News UK hands over 30 Iranian ancient artifacts Jan 2, 2005, 10:18 Customs officials of London's Heathrow Airport handed over 30 ancient artifacts to the Iranian Embassy in London on Wednesday. The artifacts were being smuggled into Britain but were confiscated by customs agents. Over 100 artifacts from the 5000-year-old Jiroft site in Iran's Kerman Province were discovered in two packages at Heathrow Airport last summer. British officials also handed over an ancient bowl to the Iranian Embassy in November. The bowl had been presented for auction at Sotheby's in London. In addition, an official of Iran's Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (CHTO) announced in early December that Turkey planned to return some Seljuk era artifacts to Iran which had been smuggled into the country over the past few years, in line with the 1970 UNESCO Convention. The UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (1970) is the first agreement of its kind, which has been accepted worldwide. It seeks to protect cultural property against theft, illicit export, and wrongful alienation. Iran has also taken major steps in recent years to fulfill its obligations as a signatory to the 1970 UNESCO Convention. Last year, Iran delivered about 200 artifacts from Afghanistan to President Hamid Karzai at Niavaran Palace in Tehran. The artifacts had been smuggled into Iran during the wars in Afghanistan. Iranian.ws __________________________________ As in Calcutta, so in London: Pilferers strike in V&A Museum on the same day - - AMIT ROY London, Jan. 4: By a curious coincidence, at almost exactly the same time that a fifth century Buddha head was being stolen from the Indian Museum in Calcutta last week, thieves were breaking into the apparently much better guarded Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Perhaps this is not such a coincidence since art theft has become a global menace. Today, the British Museum offered its expertise to its counterpart in Calcutta through the medium of The Telegraph and said it would be happy to collaborate and share information to improve security. The British Museum ?works with its counterparts all over the world? and is, at present, helping conservation and cataloguing at the Baghdad Museum, where ?between 13,000 and 14,000 of its 170,000 objects are still missing?. The British Museum says it is always on the lookout for stolen treasures, if only to discourage art theft in the Third World. ?Sometimes, they are brought in for our curators to look at,? said a spokeswoman. If this was the case with an object whose provenance could not be proved ? for example, with the Buddha head stolen in Calcutta ? ?it would immediately arouse suspicion?. Given the experiences in London, the surprise is not that the Indian Museum has had a Buddha stolen but that more have not been pilfered over the years. Although the joke in London is that thieves have reduced theft from museums to a fine art, the wisecrack isn?t all that funny. Last week, while the theft in Calcutta was taking place, the V&A, despite its better security, was about to be raided for the third time in as many months. The theft precisely followed the patterns of the earlier attacks: tools were used to force an old wooden display case, and a pocketful of small, beautiful objects was grabbed. ?The V&A has appealed for help from the art and antiques world in tracing eight objects stolen from the museum,? said a spokeswoman. ?They are eight Italian Renaissance bronze plaquettes (small plaques), each about 10 cm high, all depicting religious scenes.? Two are worth around ?100,000-150,000 and the other six vary in value between ?30,000 and 45,000. Mark Jones, the director of the V&A, said: ?This appears to have been a well-planned professional theft. The V&A is in the middle of a major programme to upgrade security and replace old display cases with new cases throughout the museum and many galleries have been completed. This theft underlines the need to proceed as rapidly as possible. We are talking to the department of culture, media and sport about how the process of upgrading can be accelerated.? The third theft is nothing if not embarrassing. On October 5, a group of nine small jade objects were stolen from the ceramics galleries. On November 24 followed the second theft ? 15 small Meissen (porcelain made at Meissen in Germany) figures were stolen, again from the ceramics galleries. There is the suspicion that the same gang ? or one light-fingered individual ? is involved. The three thefts revealed detailed knowledge of the security and visitor patterns in the museum ? what in Calcutta has been called an ?inside hand?. In each incident, the galleries were hit during opening hours but at a time when the museum was quiet, and in each, the cases were old timber ones and areas chosen were not covered by security cameras. The V&A spokeswoman disclosed that museums routinely seek intelligence from, among others, the Art Loss Register, an organisation with offices in Europe and America which ?aims to help find what?s missing?. Nor is the V&A the only museum to suffer. The Science Museum has also recently been targeted by thieves. Objects associated with a notorious Tudor alchemist and reputed wizard, Dr John Dee, were stolen before Christmas. According to former detective sergeant Dick Ellis, of Scotland Yard?s art & antiques squad, museum ?security is a constantly moving target. As new security systems are developed, criminals develop means to get around them and security becomes an extremely expensive commodity. But it is very important that security is under a constant review and the systems are upgraded.? Art theft is a Europe-wide problem. Last year, armed robbers stole the iconic Edvard Munch (the great Norwegian artist) painting, The Scream, from the Munch Museum in Oslo. Two masked thieves pulled the work and another painting, Madonna, off the wall in front of stunned visitors. One robber threatened staff with a gun before the pair escaped in a waiting car. The Munch Museum said the two stolen paintings were among its most valuable ? worth an estimated $19 million. http://www.telegraphindia.com/ _____________________________________ Post-theft scurry for magic eye KINSUK BASU Waking up to a security sieve after a valuable Buddha has gone missing, the country?s oldest museum has decided to instal a modern surveillance system, complete with new-generation infra-red sensors and cameras. A week after the December 29 theft of the 5th Century sandstone head of Buddha, Indian Museum director Shakti Kali Basu said on Tuesday that the surveillance system, once installed, would make the Chowringhee landmark as secure as the National Museum and Salar Jung Museum. A proposal seeking funds to the tune of Rs 1 crore has been sent for a nod to the department of culture in Delhi. ?We have already put forward a detailed proposal for a modern surveillance system. We will begin work as soon as we receive the official okay,? said Basu. Also awaiting the nod was the special crime branch of the CBI. ?We are yet to receive an official intimation about commencing the probe,? claimed A.K. Sahay, superintendent of police, CBI. The move to overhaul the security system comes days before a high-powered delegation from the department of culture, led by Union secretary Neena Ranjan, arrives to attend an emergency meeting called by Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi. The meeting, to be attended by the board of trustees of Indian Museum, will discuss security proposals in line with recommendations being drafted by a committee, headed by National Museum director K.K. Chakraborty, reviewing security in all major museums across India. As per the Indian Museum proposal, infra-red sensors, smoke detectors and burglary alarms are a must. But the star feature of the new security blanket would be the Access Control System, capable of retrieving images of all visitors entering and exiting the museum. This would enable the authorities to scan the identity of each visitor and detect, by means of an X-ray, any artefact being carried out. Apart from the galleries, the infra-red sensors would also be placed in the Paintings Gallery. Till the security revamp, the authorities have decided to keep away a few precious but small exhibits. ?Since all the items are not covered within our existing security system, we have decided to pull them out of the display galleries,? explained director Basu. http://www.telegraphindia.com/ ____________________________________ Stolen calligraphy recovered in Beijing A stolen calligraphy album by ancient Chinese philosopher Zhu Xi has finally been recovered and three people arrested on suspicion of theft, Beijing police announced yesterday. The album, which was set to go under the hammer for a base price of 3 million yuan (US$360,000) in December, disappeared as it was being shown at the Asian Hotel a couple of days before the auction. Local police did not immediately release news of the incident, but word got out when its absence was noticed among the 1,880 lots, which included curios, ancient writings and paintings. Known as "Master Zhu," Zhu was the considered the most important person in Confucianism after Confucius and Mencius in ancient China. His interpretations were considered orthodox Confucian thinking during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties (1279-1911). The stolen work is a poem written by Zhu in 1182 to celebrate two of his followers passing imperial civil examinations. Yi Suhao, general manager of Zhongmao Shengjia International Auction Co Ltd, said there are only two copies of the poem still in existence. The other is in the Taipei Palace Museum collection. "The album was in the possession of a collector in Hong Kong. He wants it to go back to the mainland by auction," said Yi. Liu Ruibin, head of the Dongcheng Branch of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, said local police had questioned more than 100 people at the hotel on the day it was stolen. Beijinger Diao Chongjing was arrested after allegedly admitting he took the work while guards were not looking. On December 15, Diao and an accomplice allegedly hid the volume in a church in downtown Beijing. In total three are facing trial. Source: China Daily _______________________________________ Cultural Leaders say Looting of Iraq's Antiquities Continues By Barbara Schoetzau New York 06-January-2005 0001 The cultural world was outraged at the massive looting of Iraqi museums and historic sites that took place in the aftermath of the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Libraries were set on fire, statues were smashed and priceless cultural treasures were stolen. Iraq's cultural leaders say the looting continues despite safeguards put into place since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime. Iraqi cultural officials say the looting of museums has stopped. But they say robbers continue to move from province to province plundering archeological sites. Director of museums, Donny George Youkhanna, says as many as 15,000 objects disappeared from Iraq's museums and cultural sites. He says all are of historic importance, but some were of particular significance. "The small piece of ivory, the Nubian and the lioness, this is one of the extraordinary pieces," he said. "We have lost the statue of the Sumerian king Antemena. This might be one of the oldest statues actually having the name of a king on it, mentioning that this is a king on it, in the history of mankind. That piece is lost." Thousands of other objects were returned or captured by either international police or guards belonging to a new federal protection system. Some items, undoubtedly, were stolen by poor people looking for a way to make money. But officials found clear signs, including glass cutters and keys, that much of the theft at the museums was planned ahead of time by knowledgeable people. "Some people who entered the storerooms of the antiques knew exactly where to go inside," said Aziz Hameed, president of the Iraqi Ministry of Culture. "Of course, it was complete darkness. There is no electricity. They had to light a candle or something, but they went straight to the place where the important pieces were and took them away. We found that piece of information of great help to us. We began our inquiry there." Iraq is drawing up a so-called black list that will ban institutions and individual scholars who deal with stolen material from access to Iraqi museums. And the Iraqi officials are encouraged by a series of measures put in place by western governments to discourage art theft. Still, Donny George says the flow of antiquities out of Iraq will not stop until demand ceases. "There are people outside of Iraq in the United States, in Europe, in Japan, who are following and asking for material and they are paying so much," he said. "If there was no one to buy, there would be no material to be sold. These are the people who are to be blamed because they are encouraging the robbery of this world heritage that we have there in the country." The Iraqis are developing a new database to document and catalogue their antiquities with help from the New York-based World Monuments Fund and the Getty Conservation Institute. But because many of the objects are so well known that they cannot be sold openly, cultural experts fear they are in private collections and will not be seen again for one or two generations. http://www.voanews.com/ ______________________________________ What did this man's mother do when he stole these valuable artworks? A: She dumped them in the canal >From Charles Bremner in Paris Breitwieser stole hundreds of works of art from museums and galleries across Europe A YOUNG French art lover who became one of the world?s most successful thieves is expected to tell a Strasbourg court that a passion for beauty drove him to steal paintings and artworks from the museums and galleries of Europe. The exploits of St?phane Breitwieser, 33, stunned the art world in 2002 when he admitted that he alone stole 239 works, including masterpieces by Pieter Brueghel, Watteau and D?rer, and other items worth tens of millions of pounds that vanished between 1995 and 2001 from seven countries. Embarrassed curators of the small museums favoured by Breitwieser had believed that they were the victims of a cunning gang. The ?gentleman thief?, as the media dubbed Breitwieser, was returned to his native Alsace from Switzerland last July after serving three years in prison for the theft of 69 works there. Breitwieser, a hotel employee who became a passionate collector, took impeccable care of his haul in his home in the Alsacian village of Gerstheim. Breitwieser stole hundreds of works of art including a portrait of Madeleine of France, by Corneille de Lyon, top left, The Princess of Cleves by Lucas Cranach, top right, Cheating Benefits its Master by Peter Brueghel, bottom left, and two small cupels crafted from silver, bottom right However, after his arrest in 2001 the most valuable items were lost when Mireille Stengel, his mother, took an axe to what she called his bric-a-brac. She shredded the canvases in a waste-disposal unit and dumped much of his collection in the nearby Rhine-Rhone canal. Antiques worth ?6.5 million were retrieved from the water, including baroque chalices, ivory carvings and a silver galleon. Among the dozens of artworks destroyed were The Princess of Cleves by Lucas Cranach, which was taken from Sotheby?s in Baden-Baden, Germany, in 1995; Cheating Benefits its Master, by Peter Brueghel, stolen from a museum in Antwerp in 1997; and Le Patre Endormi by Fran?ois Boucher and a portrait of James V?s first wife, Madeleine of France, by Corneille de Lyon, which were both taken from a museum in Blois in 1996. Mme Stengel, 53, is on trial with her son and with Anne-Catherine Kleinklauss, his ex-girlfriend. Both are charged with receiving. During the Swiss trial it emerged that Mme Stengel destroyed the art as an act of revenge against her son, who was described by experts as an immature, over-protected only child. In their verdict in February 2003, the judges in the canton of Gruy?res noted that Breitwieser had never sold a work. ?His taste for art was not base or materialist. It was above all the love of art and not money or the act of stealing that drove him to take these works,? they said. Breitwieser, who was the grand-nephew of Robert Breitwieser, a well-known Alsacian artist, acquired his passion as a child when his parents took him on visits to museums. After failing to reach the Louvre fine arts school, he took a two-year diploma in hotel management while learning everything he could about art. His parents? divorce at the time deeply upset him, the Swiss court was told. In a letter to Roland Breitwieser, his father, a business executive, he said he was drawn into theft by frustration, knowing that he could never afford the works that he admired in the salerooms. Borrowing his mother?s BMW convertible and elegantly dressed, he toured poorly guarded provincial museums around the Continent posing as a collector. He was at first amazed at the ease with which he could cut a painting out of its frame and stuff it in a backpack, or steal larger objects when guards? backs were turned. At the Chateau de Gruy?res he removed a 17th-century 16 sq m tapestry woven in Flanders. Unable to carry it, he threw it out the window and recovered it later from the moat. The thief?s bravado proved his downfall. He was arrested in November 2001 when he returned to the Richard Wagner museum in Lucerne only two days after stealing a hunting horn worth ?40,000. A guard recognised him and called the police. Breitwieser, who is reported to have been co-operating with the French investigating judge, faces only a maximum three-year jail term after the two-day trial. As a condition for extraditing him, Switzerland insisted that he be charged with simple theft. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/ __________________________________________ From museum-security at museum-security.org Fri Jan 7 07:58:39 2005 From: museum-security at museum-security.org (MusSecNetworkCulPropProtNet) Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2005 07:58:39 +0100 Subject: [CPProt.net] =?iso-8859-1?q?January_7=2C_2005=3A_In_fine_art=2C_?= =?iso-8859-1?q?many_fakes_survive=3B_Manischer_Kunstdieb_vor_Geric?= =?iso-8859-1?q?ht=3A_Fast_stolz_auf_Zerst=F6rungstaten=3B_Peru_-_U?= =?iso-8859-1?q?SA=3A_Altarpiece_Theft_Inquiry_Inconclusive?= Message-ID: <20050107065846.JHZT1704.amsfep20-int.chello.nl@cremers> January 7, 2005 __________________________________________ - In fine art, many fakes survive - Manischer Kunstdieb vor Gericht: Fast stolz auf Zerst?rungstaten - Peru - USA: Altarpiece Theft Inquiry Inconclusive ___________________________________________ In fine art, many fakes survive By RAF CASERT Associated Press writer BRUGES, Belgium -- What stands out in the wood panels of the Flemish Primitives is the immaculate precision of detail and the translucence of light that has survived the centuries from the pestilence-stricken Middle Ages to this day. Now, the Groeninge Museum, home to some of the greatest works of the 15th-century Flemish masters, wants you to take a closer look. Some of the Primitives may not be what they seem. A stunning new show, "Fake or Not Fake," assesses the darker side of art restoration during the mid-20th century, when some great craftsmen stepped beyond the entrusted task of retouching and succumbed to "hyper-restoration" -- and, curators say, even painted sheer fakes. The museum, together with the Catholic University of Louvain, took six Primitive panels and scientifically analyzed them down to the bare wood on which they were painted. Then they hung the original alongside a copy showing the "restored" areas in the harshest of reds. It hurts the eyes. "You lose your belief in authenticity, in the aura," Till-Holger Borchert, the Groeninge's conservator, says. The "Renders Madonna" was long attributed to Rogier van der Weyden, one of the greatest Flemish Primitives. Now it bleeds the red of excessive restoration. The nose, mouth, chin and exposed breast were all scraped down to the wood, then repainted. The baby Jesus has nothing more authentic than his eyes peeking out of a sea of red and his toes protruding from the restoration. "The Portrait of Architect Carnot," long thought to be a late-15th century original, is exposed in the show as a fake by Jef van der Veken, Belgium's standout restorer from the 1930s to 1960s. It was first scraped bare to the extent that scientific analysis could not make out what was originally underneath, then painted again from scratch. Flemish Primitives often stun admirers with the way they can bring a lush garment to life -- fur, velvet and embroidery so real you can practically feel it. In the case of the "Rest on the Flight to Egypt," by an unknown 15th-century master, the technique is beautifully shown on the Madonna's forearm, where she cradles the child. Too bad the detail is van der Veken's work. Joseph with the donkey in the background? A figment of van der Veken's imagination. "It might well have been that van der Veken did not so much want to restore a damaged work as to increase the value of an average work," the catalog says. Van der Veken was behind the restorations of four of the six paintings in the show. But there were other restorers almost as accomplished as him. Without the help of science, it would be impossible to see the difference between the restorer's touch and the historic master Petrus Christus in the two other paintings in the show. "The use of the paintbrush is so virtuoso, the choice of coloring so perfect and the command of drawing so complete that one didn't see the difference between the two-thirds the restorer was responsible for and the one-third from Petrus Christus," the catalog says. Van der Veken's best known work from his long career is a total fake -- and known as such. After the panel of the Just Judges of van Eyck's masterpiece, "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb," was stolen in 1934, van der Veken was called upon to paint a copy. His work was so perfect that even now tourists gaze at the panel in the Cathedral of Ghent and find it impossible to spot differences in style between it and the other panels of the painting. Exactly how many Flemish Primitives van der Veken restored during his long career, which ended with his death in 1964, is not known. For many lovers of Flemish art, the exhibition raises troubling questions. Some 40 years ago, this Associated Press reporter made regular visits as a young boy to the Groeninge, always stopping at van Eyck's "Madonna With Canon van der Paele," perhaps the greatest Flemish Primitive work. I often gazed at the detail of van der Paele's glasses in front of a prayer book, the deviation supposedly showing the man's myopia. Across the centuries, it created a bond between me and history. Now I learn from Borchert that van der Veken worked on it, too. It is "shocking for those who believe in authenticity," Borchert said. He said van der Veken's restoring of the van der Paele work was less intrusive, but added that a series of other restorers had also worked on it in the past. Excessive restoration of the type exposed in the Groeninge exhibition was specifically a phenomenon of the 1930s to 1950s. "We had a group of extremely talented conservators who in their restorations crossed what we would consider an ethical line," Borchert said. But kings and churches through the ages have had nudity painted over in times of religious intolerance. More recently, the luminous restoration of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel has torn apart the art world, with critics saying the retouching inevitably washed away original brushstrokes and added elements of creative interpretation. Even if some may be outraged, a younger generation raised on digital enhancers may take it well in stride. "You would not know the difference," said Robert van Parijs, 16. "I don't feel cheated." "Fake or Not Fake" runs at the Groeninge Museum through Feb. 28. http://www.hollandsentinel.com/ ________________________________________ Manischer Kunstdieb vor Gericht: Fast stolz auf Zerst?rungstaten (Translation at below) Kunstfreunden stockte der Atem: Zum Prozessauftakt gegen einen der wohl schlimmsten Kunstdiebe der Kriminalgeschichte wurde heute vor dem Stra?burger Strafgericht noch einmal das ganze Ausma? des Falles deutlich. Bis zu 1,5 Milliarden Euro sollen nach einem Gutachten die Kunstwerke wert sein, die der Angeklagte St?phane Breitwieser (33) bei seinen jahrelangen Beutez?gen quer der Europa von 1995 bis zu seiner Festnahme 2001 stahl - auch in Deutschland. Das Unfassliche: Ein Teil der Kunstwerke landete im M?ll oder einem Fluss. Breitwieser demonstriert vor Gericht ein gutes Ged?chtnis und eine gro?e Leidenschaft: Die Kunst. Ein schlechtes Gewissen scheint der Els?sser, der zuletzt als Kellner gearbeitet hatte, hingegen nicht zu haben. Geradezu stolz berichtet er von seinen Beutez?gen durch Europa. Seine Stimme ist fest, der Blick auf Richterin Anne Pauly gerichtet. An jedes Detail seiner Beutez?ge durch Museen, Kirchen, Versteigerungshallen und Galerien kann er sich erinnern und gibt bereitwillig Auskunft. ?Dieses St?ck musste ich klauen, es war unangemessen gelagert und schlecht gesichert?, antwortet er auf Paulys Frage nach seiner Motivation. Er sei s?chtig nach Kunst und habe nur deshalb geklaut. Die insgesamt 239 Werke hortete er in der gemeinsamen Wohnung der Mutter bei M?lhausen. Verkauft wurde nichts. Seine Mutter, die genauso wie die Ex-Freundin Breitwiesers ebenfalls angeklagt ist, warf sie nach der Verhaftung ihres Sohnes s?dlich von Stra?burg in den Rhein oder in den M?ll. 112 Objekte im Wert von sch?tzungsweise 45,7 Millionen Euro wurden gefunden, der Rest scheint f?r immer verloren - darunter Meisterwerke von Albrecht D?rer und Antoine Watteau. Einige Gem?lde zerst?rte die 53-J?hrige mit einem Hammer oder einem Messer. ?Ich wollte meinen Sohn bestrafen f?r das B?se, das er getan hat?, sagt sie. F?r sie sei das alles alter Kram ohne Wert gewesen. Breitwiesers Mutter ist wegen der Zerst?rung der Kunstwerke angeklagt. Au?erdem wird ihr und der Ex-Freundin ihres Sohnes vorgeworfen, die Diebst?hle verheimlicht zu haben. Breitwieser muss sich in Stra?burg nur f?r einen Teil seiner Beutez?ge verantworten: 20 Diebst?hle in Frankreich und drei Taten in D?nemark und ?sterreich aus den Jahren 1999 bis 2001. Der Sch?tzwert der dabei gestohlenen Kunstwerke betr?gt ?nur? 10 bis 15 Millionen Euro. Andere Taten sind inzwischen verj?hrt. Die Beziehung Breitwiesers zu seiner Familie steht im Zentrum der Stra?burger Verhandlung. ?Meine Eltern sind fr?her immer mit mir in Museen, Kirchen und Schl?sser gegangen. Ich war begeistert von der Kunst.? Als sein Vater die Familie verlie?, habe er seine Mutter besch?tzen wollen. 1995 fing er an, Kunstwerke zu stehlen. Aus Leidenschaft zu den sch?nen Dingen, die er sich nicht leisten konnte, gibt der Kunstliebhaber zu Protokoll. ?Nur beim ersten Mal hatte ich Angst?, sagt er ruhig. Breitwieser ging immer am Morgen als erster in die Museen und klaute, was scheinbar ohne gro?es Risiko zu stehlen war. Er ?ffnete Vitrinen und schnitt Gem?lde aus ihren Rahmen, steckte sich die Werke in den Rucksack oder die Manteltasche und verschwand. Seine 33- J?hrige Freundin soll ihn bei einigen Taten begleitet haben. Vor Gericht streitet sie den Vorwurf allerdings ab. Vorherige Erkundungen t?tigte der Kunst-Kleptomane nie. Daf?r ging er an einige Tatorte zur?ck, in denen ihm der Diebstahl besonders leicht gefallen war. Die Mutter bestreitet ein inniges Verh?ltnis zu ihrem Sohn. Sie habe sich vor ihrem zuweilen aufgebrachten Sohn gef?rchtet, aber immer geglaubt, die Kunstwerke seien gekauft. Von 1996 bis 2001 brachte der heute 33-J?hrige regelm??ig Bilder, Statuen, Gef??e und M?nzen in die gemeinsame Wohnung bei M?lhausen. Breitwiesers Diebesserie fand ein j?hes Ende, als er im November 2001 nach einem Diebstahl aus dem Richard-Wagner-Museum in Luzern verhaftet worden war. In der Schweiz wurde er wegen Diebstahls von 69 Kunstwerken aus Museen und Galerien zu vier Jahren Haft verurteilt und im Juli 2004 an Frankreich ausgeliefert. Nun erwartet ihn eine Gef?ngnisstrafe von drei Jahren. Die Urteile gegen ihn, seine Mutter und seine Ex-Freundin werden an diesem Freitag (7.1.) erwartet. gs/dpa http://www.lawchannel.de/ Google translation Mani art thief before court: Nearly proudly on destruction acts Art friends came to a hold the breath: The trial prelude against one of the probably worst art thieves the crime film-alga-laminated today criminal court became again the whole extent of the case clear before the Strassburger. Up to 1.5 billion euro the works of art should be worth, those the accused St?phane Breitwieser (33) with its booty courses for many years crosswise that Europe from 1995 to its arrest 2001 stole - also in Germany after an appraisal. The Unfassliche: A part of the works of art landed in the garbage or a river. Breitwieser demonstrates a good memory and a large passion before court: The art. A bad conscience seems the Native of Alsace, who had worked last as a waiter not to have however. Almost proudly it reports of its booty courses by Europe. Its voice is firmly, the view of Richterin Anne Pauly arranged. Of each detail of its booty courses by museums, churches, auction halls and galleries he can remind and gives themselves readily information. "I had to klauen this piece, it was stored and badly secured inadequate", answer he to Paulys question about its motivation. It is addicted after art and only therefore geklaut. Those altogether 239 works hoarded it in the common dwelling of the nut/mother with Muelhausen. Nothing was sold. Its nut/mother, that is likewise accused exactly the same as the ex friend Breitwiesers, threw it after the arrest of its son south of Strasbourg into the Rhine or into the garbage. 112 objects in the value of roughly 45.7 million euro were found, the remainder seem always lost - under it masterpieces of Albrecht Duerer and Antoine Watteau. The 53-Jaehrige with a hammer or a measurer destroyed some paintings. "I wanted to punish mine son for the bad, which he did, says" her. For it that was all old stuff without value. Breitwiesers nut/mother is accused of the destruction of the works of art. In addition you and the ex friend of their son are accused the thefts to have concealed. Breitwieser must answer for itself in Strasbourg only for a part of its booty courses: 20 thefts in France and three acts in Denmark and Austria from the years 1999 to 2001. The estimated value of the works of art stolen thereby amounts to "only" 10 to 15 million euro. Other acts are in the meantime fall under the statute of limitations. The relationship Breitwiesers with its family is located in the center of the Strassburger negotiation. "my parents in former times always went with me into museums, churches and locks. I was inspired by the art." When its father left the family, he had wanted to protect its nut/mother. he began 1995 to steal works of art. Made of passion to the beautiful things, which he could not afford, the art lover gives to minutes. "only with the first time I had fear", say he calmly. Breitwieser always went in the morning as the first into the museums and klaute, which was to be stolen apparently without large risk. It opened showcases and cut paintings from their frameworks, was themselves the works into the backpack or the manteltasche and disappeared. His 33 year old friend is to have accompanied it with some acts. Before court it argues however off the reproach. The art Kleptomane never transacted previous investigations. But it decreased/went back to some scenes, in which the theft was particularly easily pleased it. The nut/mother denies an intimate relationship to her son. She was afraid of her occasionally applied son, but always believed, the works of art are bought. From 1996 to 2001 that brought today 33-Jaehrige regularly pictures, statues, containers and coins into the common dwelling with Muelhausen. Breitwiesers thief series found a sudden end, when he had been arrested in November 2001 after a theft from the Richard Wagner museum in Luzern. In Switzerland he was condemned because of theft by 69 works of art from museums and galleries to four years detention and delivered in July 2004 at France. Now a term of imprisonment of three years expects it. The judgements against it, its nut/mother and his ex friend become on this Friday (7,1.) expected. gs/gs/dpa http://www.lawchannel.de/ ______________________________________ Altarpiece Theft Inquiry Inconclusive By Laura Banish Journal Staff Writer The case of how a stolen 16th century Peruvian altarpiece wound up in the late Ron Messick's Santa Fe art gallery may never be solved. Almost three weeks after Messick's death from cancer, a grand jury investigation into the transfer of the priceless altarpiece was discontinued, said Mark Donatelli, the art dealer's lawyer. On Thursday, Messick's partner Paul Rochford? on behalf of Rochford & Messick Fine Arts? entered into an agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, in which the altarpiece will be returned to Challapampa, Peru, and all documents given to the federal government by the gallery will be returned. According to a written statement signed by Rochford, he looks forward, "as Ron would have also, to confirmation that the altarpiece is placed in its original location." The piece, which depicts a pair of winged saints and cherubs, has been locked away in El Paso since Messick turned it over to U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs agents in May 2003. The altarpiece is believed to be the work of renowned South American artists Bernardo Bitti and Pedro de Vargas. But it has never been clear how the piece arrived in Santa Fe, where it was displayed at the Canyon Road gallery and in Messick's home. Federal authorities said it was smuggled illegally into the United States after being stolen from Challapampa village during church repairs in 2002. However, an appraiser's report prepared for Messick maintains that the piece entered the United States in 1961 as part of a collection from Spain. The report says the altar was then sold to Vladamir Haustove of Artweave Gallery in Nyack, N.Y., and purchased in 2000 by Arizona art dealer Paul S. Shephard. Attorneys for Shephard have said Shephard neither owned the piece nor sold it to Messick. A Journal investigation found that there has never been a business permit for the Artweave Gallery in Nyack, N.Y. The Journal also found that the altarpiece? or at least an identical altar screen attributed to Bitti in the church at Challapampa? was featured in a well-known art textbook published in 1985. Messick's attorneys have never said how he obtained the altarpiece. Donatelli, Messick's attorney, said Messick checked official lists of stolen art and antiquities before acquiring the piece and found no reports that it was stolen. Donatelli said it wasn't until recently that Rochford received "credible, convincing" information from the U.S. Attorney's Office showing that the altarpiece belonged to the Peruvian village and should be returned. According to a written statement, "Prior to Ron Messick's death, Ron directed Paul to carry through with their original plan (to return the altar) in the event such information was received later." A grand jury reportedly convened to review the case in May 2003. Federal authorities have said little about the case since. In a telephone interview Thursday, Jane Levine, an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said she could not comment on the investigation or even confirm that an investigation exists. "I can't answer or comment on a grand jury investigation, if there is such an investigation," she said. Calls to the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices in Albuquerque and El Paso were not returned Thursday. Donatelli said that, to his knowledge, no one has ever been charged in the case. Albuquerque Journal __________________________________________ From museum-security at museum-security.org Fri Jan 7 15:04:58 2005 From: museum-security at museum-security.org (MusSecNetworkCulPropProtNet) Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2005 15:04:58 +0100 Subject: [CPProt.net] =?iso-8859-1?q?_Robbery_in_the_T=F8jhusmuseet_in_Co?= =?iso-8859-1?q?penhagen_=28The_Royal_Danish_Arsenal_Museum=29?= Message-ID: <20050107140501.UIB17857.amsfep17-int.chello.nl@cremers> _____ From: Ole Frantzen [mailto:olf at thm.dk] Sent: 07 January 2005 14:08 To: Museum-security at museum-security.org Subject: Robbery in the T?jhusmuseet in Copenhagen Dear Colleague I want to inform the Museum Security Network that the T?jhusmuseet, The Royal Danish Arsenal Museum, which is neighbour to the Royal Library, has had a serious robbery. The robbery took place Thursday evening and a Russian order has been stolen from our exhibition. It is the Order of St. Andrew consisting of a star and a cross . Picture: http://www.museum-security.org/russerstjerner.gif I would appriciate if you could distribute this information to colleagues in other museums via the Museum Security Network. The Danish police knows about the robbery and they will of course institute a search through their international channels. Yours sincerely Ole L. Frantzen Director -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://duvel.te.verweg.com/pipermail/cpprot/attachments/20050107/e1d382bd/attachment.htm From forwardellie at hotmail.com Sun Jan 9 11:47:04 2005 From: forwardellie at hotmail.com (FwdEB) Date: Sun, 9 Jan 2005 11:47:04 +0100 Subject: [CPProt.net] En busca del patrimonio perdido Message-ID: En busca del patrimonio perdido Tubilla del Agua, un peque?o pueblo burgal?s, encabeza la lista de reclamaciones a la Generalitat para recuperar obras hist?ricas En plena almoneda del Archivo de la Guerra Civil de Salamanca, Tubilla del Agua, un pueblo burgal?s de apenas cincuenta vecinos, encabeza la rebeli?n de los humildes, cuarenta municipios de Castilla-Le?n que reclaman la devoluci?n de obras de arte que desaparecieron hace a?os de sus iglesias con rumbo a museos catalanes. S?lo en el Museo Mar?s de Barcelona se exhiben, en su colecci?n permanente, entre 180 y doscientas obras procedentes de Castilla y Le?n. Muchas de estas piezas fueron adquiridas de una manera irregular. Ahora, los habitantes de estas localidades quieren restaurar un patrimonio que ha sido suyo hasta hace muy pocos a?os. ?Esto tambi?n tiene mucho valor?, afirman. Tubilla del Agua (Burgos)- Una de las naves laterales de la iglesia de San Miguel, en la localidad burgalesa de Tubilla del Agua, resisti? en pie hasta hace unos a?os. Ahora, las piedras se amontonan en el lugar donde estaba situada la antigua entrada al templo de origen rom?nico. Las paredes de la nave central todav?a se mantienen erguidas, aunque sea con el cielo de Castilla como techo y una alfombra de innumerables zarzas. El campanario, no. La parte superior fue desmontada en 1969 y su ventana se exhibe en el Museo Mar?s de Barce- lona. Tubilla es un pueblo de apenas medio centenar de habitantes, la mayor?a jubilados, donde el ?ltimo quinto li? el petate en 1986. La iglesia de Santa Mar?a, donde se celebra el culto, espera ya la boda del pr?ximo septiembre. Del anterior enlace en este templo tambi?n han pasado veinte a?os. Del ?ltimo nacimiento en el municipio, 36. Pero este pueblo sin bautizos, sin j?venes y sin bodas reclama ahora su campanario y ha iniciado una cruzada que ha puesto en alerta a cuarenta localidades castellano-leonesas donde, como en Tubilla, echan de menos alguna obra de arte sacro que, un buen d?a, abandon? sus iglesias para no volver jam?s. ?A plena luz del d?a?. ?Siempre se ha vendido algo de las iglesias. Eran otros tiempos, pero aqu? se desvalij? entera a plena luz del d?a. Fue una verg?enza. La llenaron de andamios y se llevaron la torre pese a las protestas de los vecinos, que les llamaron sinverg?enzas. El pueblo se qued? muy apenado?. Alfonso Padilla, alcalde Tubilla del Agua, es el principal impulsor de esta reclamaci?n. Hace diez a?os encabez? una recogida de firmas para pedir al entonces regidor que solicitara la devoluci?n de esos bienes. ?Pero no nos apoy??, lamenta mientras se?ala el boquete donde luc?a el ventanal del campanario. Ahora, la rebati?a en el Archivo de Salamanca, bendecida por el Gobierno de Zapatero, ha alentado a estos municipios a reclamar lo que fue suyo. No en vano, s?lo el Museo Mar?s de Barcelona exhibe 159 obras procedentes de Castilla y Le?n. Padilla envi? una carta al presidente de la Generalitat, Pasqual Maragall, el 25 de noviembre del pasado a?o, reclam?ndole los documentos que autorizaron la extracci?n, en 1969, de las piezas de la iglesia de San Miguel de su localidad. ?Este expolio -refiere el regidor en la misiva- ocurri? en la primavera de 1969, como consecuencia de la personaci?n en la localidad del se?or Frederic Mar?s, acompa?ado de una cuadrilla de operarios, afirmando tener permiso del Ayuntamiento, el cual no figura en el archivo municipal, y que procedi? al desmontaje y sustracci?n de las piezas?. El alcalde reclama a la Generalitat que ?stas se trasladen a Tubilla, as? como una ayuda econ?mica para restaurar la iglesia. La misiva no ha tenido respuesta. Por su parte, el Museo Mar?s aduce que las obras fueron adquiridas por Frederic Mar?s a un anticuario de Reinosa (Santander), que hab?a comprado en mayo de ese a?o la torre de la iglesia, que amenazaba ruina, al vicario general del Arzobispado de Burgos, que con ese dinero pensaba reconstruir la iglesia de Santa Mar?a, en la misma localidad. Una pieza olvidada. El resto de piezas se vendieron a otros coleccionista. ?El cura de entonces dijo que las 300.000 pesetas que ofrec?an los anticuarios servir?an para arreglar la otra iglesia, pero no se hizo nada. Ni siquiera sabemos -se queja el alcalde de Tubilla- cu?nto se pag? realmente por las piezas?. La iglesia de San Miguel esconde, pese a todo, algunos tesoros que agudizan a?n m?s la sensaci?n de desasosiego del visitante. Una pila bautismal asoma entre pedruscos musgosos y ramajes secos, a los pies del campanario objeto de la pol?mica. ?No la debieron ver y ah? se qued??, explica el alcalde, como justificando su presencia en medio de un escenario tan descorazonador. Dos capiteles anteriores al siglo XI tambi?n se salvaron de emprender el mismo camino que el ventanal de la torre. ?Se hab?an encalado y pasaron desa-percibidos?, a?ade Padilla. El lugar donde estaba situado el altar mayor est? repleto de tablones, tejas apiladas y pupitres sobrantes de la antigua escuela. Durante un tiempo tambi?n se utiliz? como le?era. Los bloques de toba (la piedra caliza de la regi?n con la que se edific? el templo) se amontonan por doquier, a la espera de otros muchos que caer?n sobre ellos, si nadie lo remedia, con la inscripci?n del cantero todav?a grabada. ?Quiero techar la c?pula para que no se venga abajo?, cuenta Padilla, que anda empe?ado en recuperar el mural que adornaba una de las paredes de la iglesia. El fresco, del siglo XI, representaba a dos ?ngeles alanceando a un drag?n. En su lugar, un muro desconchado espera que las enredaderas cubran la memoria de la pintura que ya no est?. ?Vino personalmente Federico Mar?s a llev?rselo y ahora lo tienen en el museo, aunque no expuesto?, dice el joven regidor. Derecho a reclamar. Hace unos d?as, casi una veintena de alcaldes de peque?as localidades de Castilla-Le?n se reunieron en Burgos con el objetivo de constituir una asociaci?n que reclame el regreso de su patrimonio hist?rico. ?La asociaci?n va para adelante. He pedido una entrevista con la Junta de Castilla y Le?n. El Archivo de Salamanca se ha defendido bien, pero esto tiene m?s valor y tambi?n hay que defenderlo. A ra?z de lo sucedido con el archivo pensamos que tambi?n tenemos derecho a reclamar lo nuestro?. Padilla insiste: ?Mar?s nunca ense?? los documentos ni ning?n papel donde se recogiese por escrito qu? le autorizaban a llevarse?. ?Al conocer la iniciativa, me llamaron varios alcaldes. Todos saben lo que se llevaron, pero no tienen documentaci?n que acredite si se vendi?. Yo tampoco. El arzobispado no se ha pronunciado. A m? ni siquiera me han dejado ver los documentos de la iglesia de San Miguel?, se queja. Adem?s de Tubilla, otros municipios burgaleses como Santa Mar?a de Villadiego, Puentedura y Hortig?ela tambi?n sopesan seguir el mismo camino y reclamar el patrimonio art?stico que un d?a adorn? sus iglesias. Otros, como Villadiego, han encargado estudios para determinar c?mo salieron de su localidad esos bienes antes de emprender un litigio con los museos que los exhiben. Su alcalde, ?ngel Carret?n, ha pedido un informe a la directora del Museo de Burgos, vecina de la localidad, sobre la talla de la Virgen con el Ni?o que desapareci? de la iglesia de Santa Mar?a. Es d?a de mercadillo en Villadiego y el alcalde alterna sus quehaceres municipales con el puesto que tiene en la plaza. En el Consistorio, los vecinos entran y salen como si fuera -y lo es- su casa, sin las trabas burocr?ticas de los grandes ayuntamientos encastillados detr?s de un mont?n de papeles. En la sala de sesiones, el escudo nacional, un crucifijo cruzado por guirnaldas navide?as y una foto del Rey. En una esquina, sobre una mesa, hay cuatro botellas que parecen de cava, quiz? una mano tendida a los museos catalanes que ahora albergan las piezas viajeras. Pero no lo son. Se trata de vino de Rueda. El cava, a lo que se ve, no ha tomado esta Navidad las de Villadiego. ?No sabemos si se compr? o se rob?. No quiero precipitarme, porque si se vendi?, aunque no haya factura, ?para qu? me voy a meter??, se pregunta en voz alta ?ngel Carret?n. Al margen de si la imagen de la Virgen con el Ni?o se vendi? o se rob?, al regidor le apena que la talla se exhiba lejos de su localidad. ?Lo l?gico ser?a que estuviese donde siempre estuvo. Su valor, art?stico y sentimental, es incalculable?. El cura del pueblo, Jos? Antonio Salazar, lo tiene m?s claro. La imagen, explica, se vendi? en los a?os 50. ?El p?rroco, cuando la vendi?, cont? con la autorizaci?n de la di?cesis. Con ese dinero se arregl? parte del tejado y se cambi? la tarima?, explica. Entonces, el suelo tuvo que levantarse un metro para evitar inundaciones. A Jos? Antonio no le resulta demasiado dif?cil ponerse en el pellejo de su antecesor. Ahora, su cabeza no para de hacer n?meros para conseguir los 230.000 euros que cuesta cambiar el tejado del templo, que data del siglo XII, aunque la mayor parte se reconstruy? en el XVI. Sin escr?pulos. El Ayuntamiento y la Junta de Castilla y Le?n costear?n m?s de dos terceras partes de la reforma. El resto lo aportan los fieles, que donaci?n a donaci?n ya suman cerca de 9.000 euros. ?Hoy en d?a no existe la penuria que hab?a antes. Era como si tuvieses que cortarte un dedo para salvar la mano?, afirma pragm?tico. Como a la fuerza ahorcan, Villadiego ha convertido otra de sus iglesias, la de San Lorenzo, en un museo donde se recopilan cruceros, casullas, tallas y otras piezas de arte de iglesias de municipios cercanos, una iniciativa que evitar? tentaciones a coleccionistas sin escr?pulos. Otro de los pueblos, ?ste palentino, que todav?a deshoja la margarita es Ampudia. Una imagen de la Virgen con Ni?o de Valoria del Alcor, una pedan?a dependiente de esta localidad, est? tambi?n expuesta en el Museo Mar?s. ?No sabemos c?mo sali? de aqu?, pues no consta en los archivos municipales. He hablado con gente mayor y parece que hab?a que retejar la iglesia y se vendi? la talla para arreglar las goteras, pero no es seguro. Le he pedido al p?rroco que mire en sus archivos?, cuenta Bautista Hern?ndez, alcalde de esta localidad. ?Ahora eso no se podr?a hacer. Est? todo m?s controlado?, dice. De nuevo en Tubilla del Agua, su alcalde prepara la reuni?n que mantendr? con el presidente de la Diputaci?n. Su cruzada no ha hecho m?s que empezar. Y es que este peque?o pueblo del Valle del Rudr?n est? casi resignado a vivir sin bautizos, sin j?venes, sin bodas y sin ayudas de la Administraci?n, pero al menos quiere mirar de nuevo a su campanario sin sentir verg?enza. Ricardo Coarasa domingo 9 de enero de 2005 http://www.larazon.es/noticias/noti_cul30985.htm From forwardellie at hotmail.com Mon Jan 10 11:32:56 2005 From: forwardellie at hotmail.com (FwdEB) Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2005 11:32:56 +0100 Subject: [CPProt.net] La empecinada libertad del arte Message-ID: La empecinada libertad del arte (Venezuela) Juan Carlos Palenzuela // HASTA HACE TRES A?OS, el p?blico de los museos era masivo y, por tanto, heterog?neo. Ello se constataba no s?lo los fines de semana, sino incluso una ma?ana o una tarde cualquiera cuando, al acercarse en plan de visita a algunos de los tres museos caraque?os por excelencia, MBA, MACCSI o GAN, para ver una exposici?n o, si fuese el caso, recorrer sus salas permanentes, era algo que se hac?a, siempre, en compa??a de alguien que no conocemos. All? estaban unos j?venes, unos escolares, varios adultos. Invariablemente uno se encontraba con p?blico en la sala. Ahora no. Ahora las salas est?n desiertas. Hay que decir que ahora la programaci?n es diferente. Las exposiciones son raras, a veces no corresponden a lo que se supone es un museo de arte. Hay una intenci?n panfletaria, de esquema pol?tico, de menjurje comunitario, que no necesariamente tiene nexo con la expresi?n visual y que, incluso puede ser contraria al arte. Como lo que ahora se exhibe carece de inter?s, la gente, sencillamente, deja de ir. Ya lo dec?a un director de uno de esos museos (en mayo de 2003, en El Universal): "Mientras la construcci?n de la nueva sede de la GAN contin?e estancada, estamos obligados a olvidarnos un poco de la visi?n acad?mica tradicional de la obra aislada, del espacio sofisticado, de la exquisitez de la exposici?n". Confieso que no s? qu? quiere decir "la visi?n acad?mica tradicional de la obra aislada". El resto de la idea todav?a me produce pena. Sucede que como terminar la construcci?n de la GAN no est? entre las metas del actual gobierno, entonces debemos olvidarnos del espacio sofisticado, de la exquisitez de las exposiciones, del cat?logo a tiempo, del ciclo de conferencias, de la regularidad y variedad de las exposiciones, de la proyecci?n social del museo y de la prioridad que constituye el p?blico. Olvid?monos, simplemente, del museo. OLVIDARSE DE LOS MUSEOS quiz?s sea un prop?sito pol?tico. Olvidarse de lo que alguna vez fueron instituciones abiertas a un p?blico grueso, con un alt?simo sentido de la calidad de lo que se ofrec?a. Ya eso pertenece al pasado. El presidente del Conac lo dijo: "Se eliminar?n las fundaciones de los ocho museos existentes". Luego, lejos de crear m?s museos, de fortalecer sus respectivas direcciones, darles libertad de acci?n, de lo que se trata es de negar la descentralizaci?n que, en el campo cultural, tanto bien hab?a hecho. "Cuando los criterios de lo pol?tico, advert?a Mar?a Elena Ramos en junio de 2002, empiezan a intervenir, esto se acaba". Y esto que se acaba es el trabajo cultural en base a calidad y libertad. ?Qu? podr?a suceder con los museos de aqu? en adelante? pregunt? un periodista a Ramos, y su respuesta fue muy simple: "Me preocupan los patrimonios". Es decir, ya la imagen de las instituciones fue seriamente da?ada por la politiquer?a. ?Qu? pasar? con los museos? Por lo pronto, el MACCSI, est? desmantelado. Se dice que sus obras fueron distribuidas por aqu? y por all?, incluso a una caserna. SI LA ACTIVIDAD de los museos caraque?os est? en un segundo y remoto plano, entonces ver arte se limita a unas cuantas galer?as, principalmente la Sala Mendoza, Alternativa, 39, Trasnocho y Spacio Zero, adem?s del Hotel Paseo Las Mercedes, donde Valerie Brathawaite concreta un proyecto. Por all? se muestra la pluralidad del arte de hoy: Pedro Ter?n, Alexander Ap?stol, Sandra Vivas, Onofre Fr?as, Roger Sanguino, Juli?n Villafa?e, Augusto Lange, Milton Becerra, Pedro Tagliafico, To?a Vegas, Asdr?bal Colmen?rez, Mercedes Pardo, Alberto Cavalieri y Patricia van Dalen, entre otros, mientras Eugenio Espinoza hizo una estupenda exposici?n, "Teque?os", en el Museo Cruz Diez. Luego son las galer?as las que se ocupan de ciertas tareas como cuando Trazos, en el Centro Lido, decide celebrar el centenario del nacimiento del maestro Francisco Narv?ez. Lo que es omitido por el Conac, al menos es conmemorado por los escultores y una galer?a. Entretanto sucede la destrucci?n de las obras de arte situadas en el espacio citadino, Otero, Soto, Cruz Diez, Mar?a Lionza... Si en esos casos se deb?a al vandalismo de los infelices que recorren la ciudad buscando metales para revender, y en Mar?a Lionza a la posible acci?n a la fuerza del municipio, en lo que respecta a Col?n en el Golfo Triste, de Rafael de la Cova, la destrucci?n se hizo a plena luz del d?a y ante la prensa, por un grup?sculo de fan?ticos politizados y ante la indiferencia de las autori dades. UN TEMA EN ESTOS tiempos es la utop?a derruida. Alexander Ap?stol lo enfoca hacia la ciudad, el espacio p?blico y el secuestro, el deterioro, desmantelamiento y degradaci?n del mismo. Pero quiz?s sea algo m?s grave pues trasciende la belleza de las ciudades y su urbanismo modernista, desde el mismo momento en que toca una concepci?n de vida, la democracia, la libertad del hombre, el imperio de la justicia. Al trastocarse estos conceptos surgen el autoritarismo, el fanatismo, la violencia. Entonces todo lleva ese signo y hasta el premio nacional es politizado. Ender Cepeda ha podido ser un buen premio de artes pl?sticas, pero escogi? inclinarse ante un poder desmesurado, de signo militarista, que se irrita ante lo que significan sus "Maleconeros". Ahora al artista premiado se le exige silencio (?ser? esto sin?nimo de complicidad?) y esa condici?n, simplemente, es la negaci?n de la creaci?n. Ser?a m?s f?cil suprimir la entrega del premio nacional, total ello denota la exaltaci?n del individualismo. A PESAR DEL PROCESO de retroceso de la democracia, resiste el sentido libertario. Por la iniciativa privada se realiza la FIA, contra todas las adversidades y ahora, adem?s, Maracaibo inaugur? una Feria de Arte y Antig?edades. Pero el ministro del Conac declara que no es partidario de comprar en subastas (El Universal, 4-XI2004), ni en ferias, podr?amos completar. Con esa primitiva manera de pensar el ?nico que pierde es ?l, es decir, lo que ?l representa: los museos y, por extensi?n, el pueblo venezolano. Ya no estar?n las obras de Arturo Michelena en el pa?s, como tampoco estar?n en las colecciones p?blicas Jard?n de Versalles de Manuel Cabr?, de 1920; Retrato de Pascual Navarro de Alejandro Otero, de 1945; una escultura en homenaje al petr?leo, sin t?tulo, de V?ctor Valera, de 1955; Grabado 44 de Luis Chac?n, de 1963; Mujer con flores de Antonio Jos? Fern?ndez, de los a?os setenta; Dos mujeres de Iv?n Petrovszky, de 1977 y Autorretrato de Ender Cepeda, de 1985, por referir algunas cuantas piezas magistrales ofrecidas en la Sala Mendoza. Queda, entonces, la iniciativa privada, como cuando se suman voluntades alrededor de 20 Nueva miradas. J?venes Pintores Venezolanos, un libro de ciento veinte p?ginas, editado por Soledad Mendoza, en el que se registran la pintura de un tiempo diferente, sean los cuadernos de bot?nico de Vladimir Da'Costa, la fauna de Roger Sanguino, las cruces de Roberto Notarfrancesco, los heladeros de Juli?n Villafa?e, los paisajes de Juan Araujo, la transparencia de Jonidel Mendoza o la fuerte expresividad de Enay Ferrer, Jos? Vivenes o Starsky Brines, entre otros. Con ellos, en medio de la tormenta, persiste la fe en el arte venezolano. http://www.eluniversal.com/2005/01/10/opi_art_10491E.shtml ------ English translation [www.freetranslation.com]: The stubborn liberty of the art UNTIL THREE YEARS AGO, the public of the museums was massive and, therefore, heterogeneous. It it was verified not only weekends, but even one morning or a late one any when, al to be approached as visit to some of the three museums of Caracas by excellence, MBA, MACCSI or GAN, to see an exposition or, if were the case, to travel through its permanent rooms, was something that was done, always, in company of someone that do not we know. There were some youths, some students, various adult. Invariably one it was found with public in the room. Now not. Now the rooms are deserted. One must say that now the programming is different. The expositions are rare, at times they do not correspond to what is supposed is a museum of art. There is an intention panfletaria, of political plan, of menjurje common, that does not necessarily have link with the visual expression and that, even can be an opponent al art. As what now he is exhibited he lacks interest, the people, simply, to stops going. Already it told it a director of one of those museums (in May of 2003, in The Universal one) : "While the construction of the new headquarters of the GAN continue stagnant, we are obliged to forget us a little the traditional academic vision of the remote work, of the sophisticated space, of the fineness of the exposition". I confess that I do not know what means "the traditional academic vision of the remote work". The remainder of the idea still produces me grief. It happens that as to finish the construction of the GAN is not among the goals of the present government, then we should forget us of the sophisticated space, of the fineness of the expositions, of the catalogue to time, of the cycle of conferences, of the regularity and variety of the expositions, of the social projection of the museum and of the priority that constitutes the public. Olvid?monos, simply, of the museum. Being FORGOT OF THE MUSEUMS perhaps be a political purpose. Being forgot of what some time were open institutions to a thick public, with a highest sense of the quality of what was offered. Already that belongs al passed. The president of the Conac told it: "the foundations of the eight existing museums will be eliminated". Then, far from creating more museums, of fortifying its respective directions, to give them liberty of action, of what treats is of denying the decentralization that, in the country cultural, so much well had done. "When the criteria of the political thing, notified Mar?a Elena Branches in June of 2002, they begin to intervene, this is finished". And this that is finished is the cultural work in base to quality and liberty. What would be able to happen with the museums from here on? asked a journalist to Branches, and its answer was very simple: "the patrimonies they worry Me". That is to say, already the image of the institutions seriously was damaged by the politicking. What will happen with the museums? By the quick thing, the MACCSI, is dismantled. It tells that its works were distributed around here and by there, even to a barracks. IF THE ACTIVITY of the museums of Caracas is in a second and remote flat, then to see art is limited to some as many galleries, mainly the Room Mendoza, Alternative, 39, Trasnocho and Spacio Zero, besides the Hotel Walk The Mercy, where Valerie Brathawaite concrete a project. By there the plurality of the art is shown of today: Pedro Ter?n, Alexander Apostle, Sandra you Live, Onofre Cold, Roger Sanguino, Juli?n Villafa?e, August Lange, Milton Becerra, Pedro Tagliafico, To?a fertile plain, Asdr?bal Colmen?rez, Brown Mercy, Alberto Cavalieri and Patrician they go Dalen, among others, while Eugenio Espinoza did a stupendous exposition, "Teque?os", in the Museum Cross Ten. Then they are the galleries the ones that are in charge of certain tasks as when Lines, in the Central one Lido, decides to celebrate the centennial of the birth of the master one Francisco Narv?ez. What is omitted for the Conac, al less is commemorated for the sculptors and a gallery. Meanwhile it happens the destruction of the works of art situated in the urban space, Hillock, Soto, Cross Ten, Mar?a Lionza.. If in those cases al was owed vandalism of the unhappy that travel through the city seeking metals to resell, and in Mar?a Lionza to the possible action by force of the municipality, as for Columbus in the Sad Gulf, of Rafael of the Cova, the destruction was done to full light of the day and before the press, by a grup?sculo of fanatics politicized and before theThe autori dades. A THEME IN THESE times is the utopia destroyed. Alexander Apostle focuses him toward the city, the public space and the abduction, the deterioration, dismantling and degradation of the same one. But perhaps he be something more serious therefore he transcends the beauty of the cities and his modernist town planning, since the same moment in which he touches a conception of life, the democracy, the liberty of the man, the empire of the justice. Al trastocarse these concepts arise the authoritarianism, the fanaticism, the violence. Then all carries that sign and even the national prize is politicized. Ender Cepeda has been able to be a good prize of plastic arts, but chose to be inclined before an excessive power, of militaristic sign, that is irritated before what signify their "Maleconeros". Now al artist rewarded is required him silence (?will be this synonym of complicity?) and that condition, simply, is the negation of the creation. It would be easier to suppress the delivery of the total, national prize it denotes the exaltation of the individualism. In spite of THE PROCESS of backward movement of the democracy, resists the libertarian sense. By the private initiative it is carried out GIVES CREDIT, against all the adversities and now, besides, Maracaibo inaugurated a Fair of Art and Antiquities. But the minister of the Conac declares that is not a follower to buy in auctions (The Universal one, 4-XI2004), neither in fairs, we would be able to complete. With that primitive way to think the unique one that loses he is he, that is to say, what represents: the museums and, by extension, the Venezuelan town. No longer they will be the works of Arturo Michelena in the country, as they will neither be in the collections public Garden of Versailles of Manuel I Will Fit, of 1920; Portrait of Pascual from Navarre of Alejandro Hillock, of 1945; a sculpture in homage al petroleum, without title, of V?ctor to Avail oneself of of 1955; Engraving 44 of Luis Lizard, of 1963; Woman with flowers of Antonio Jos? Fern?ndez, of the seventies; Two women of Iv?n Petrovszky,Of 1977 and Self-portrait of Ender Cepeda, of 1985, by referring some as many magisterial pieces offered in the Room Mendoza. Remains, then, the private initiative, as when add wills around 20 New looks. Young Venezuelan Painters, a book of hundred twenty pages, published by Solitude Mendoza, in which they are registered the painting of a different time, be the notebooks of botanist of Vladimir Gives' Coast, the fauna of Roger Sanguino, the crossings of Roberto Notarfrancesco, the heladeros of Juli?n Villafa?e, the landscapes of Juan Araujo, the transparency of Jonidel Mendoza or the strong expressiveness of Enay Ferrer, Jos? Vivenes or Starsky Canvases, among. With them, in the middle of the storm, persists the faith in the Venezuelan art. From museum-security at museum-security.org Mon Jan 10 16:18:24 2005 From: museum-security at museum-security.org (MusSecNetworkCulPropProtNet) Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2005 16:18:24 +0100 Subject: [CPProt.net] Thieves steal 17th century Dutch paintings worth $13 million; The robbers took 15 to 20 paintings from the Westfries Museum Message-ID: <20050110151828.BDGK22540.amsfep16-int.chello.nl@cremers> Thieves steal 17th century Dutch paintings worth $13 million The robbers took 15 to 20 paintings from the Westfries Museum The Associated Press Originally published January 10, 2005, 9:54 AM EST HOORN, Netherlands -- Thieves broke into a museum in the northern Netherlands and stole a series of 17th century Dutch paintings worth an estimated $13 million, the Westfries Museum said Monday. The robbers took 15 to 20 paintings and a substantial portion of the 125 year-old museum's silver collection on Sunday night without setting off the alarm, a statement said. Among the stolen works were paintings by Jan van Goyen, Jacob Waben, Matthias Withoos, Jan Rietschoof, Jan Linsen and Herman Henstenburg. "The heart of our collection is gone, including top artworks of national importance. They were mostly unique pieces which are irreplaceable," the museum statement said. The museum said its advanced security system had been checked on Thursday and that it could not explain how it had been possible. Employees discovered the theft Monday morning when they found smashed display cases, broken doors and empty frames. http://www.baltimoresun.com/ _________________________ Museum Security Network http://www.museum-security.org/ toncremers at museum-security.org Archive Cultural Property Protection http://te.verweg.com/pipermail/cpprot/ Archive Museum Security Network http://te.verweg.com/pipermail/msn-list/ _________________________ From museum-security at museum-security.org Mon Jan 10 17:25:59 2005 From: museum-security at museum-security.org (MusSecNetworkCulPropProtNet) Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2005 17:25:59 +0100 Subject: [CPProt.net] Kuwaiti art recovery Message-ID: <20050110162603.JFII17857.amsfep17-int.chello.nl@cremers> Kuwaiti art recovery (Filed: 10/01/2005) Will Bennett reports on attempts to recover lost Kuwaiti art Telegraph Financial Services & Reader Guides Thefts from Iraqi museums and archaeological sites have preoccupied the art world since the US-led coalition toppled Saddam Hussein, but one of the most enduring mysteries is the fate of treasures stolen by the Iraqis after they occupied Kuwait in 1990-91. Although most of the collection looted from Kuwait's National Museum has been recovered, almost all the jewellery, Islamic art and other works taken from wealthy Kuwaitis by the Iraqis during the six-month occupation has vanished. Only a few pieces have surfaced on the international art market, and none of it was found in Iraq after the war in 2003. "It is a mystery as to where the stuff is," says Charles Young, who works for the long-established London art agents Gurr Johns. "The Americans went into Saddam's palaces after the war last year and they were completely empty. The whole thing is quite extraordinary." Young recently completed a contract to value lost works for the United Nations Compensation Commission, which was created in 1991 to process claims and pay compensation for losses suffered as a direct result of Iraq's illegal invasion and occupation of Kuwait. During a series of visits to the oil-rich Gulf state, he valued the losses suffered by about 60 Kuwaitis including some members of the royal family. "I was looking at individual items worth over $50,000 and individual pieces of jewellery worth over $150,000," he says. "There was one claim for 30 items of modern jewellery valued at $70 million, and that was not the largest. The overall total of the claims came to several hundred million dollars." While modern jewellery has probably been broken up and component parts sold separately to avoid recognition, the Islamic art taken by the Iraqi army in a ruthlessly well-organised looting operation would be worth relatively little if it was treated in this way. There are rumours that it has been smuggled out of Iraq and is being sold off in the Middle East to help fund the present insurgency. One Kuwaiti whom Young spoke to showed him a photograph of Saddam sitting by a porcelain vase that had once adorned his home in Kuwait. The Iraqi dictator has of course been found, but the vase is still missing. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ From museum-security at bsd1.nedport.net Fri Jan 14 19:19:47 2005 From: museum-security at bsd1.nedport.net (museum-security (FTP)) Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2005 19:19:47 +0100 (CET) Subject: [CPProt.net] complete list of paintings aand silverware stolen from museum on line Message-ID: <49317.62.163.194.80.1105726787.squirrel@webmailserver.bsd1.nedport.net> A complete list of paintings and silverware stolen from Dutch museum available on line at: http://www.westfriesmuseum.nl/lijst.htm Please do forward this information to as many contacts as possible. Ton Cremers From museum-security at museum-security.org Fri Jan 14 23:50:01 2005 From: museum-security at museum-security.org (MusSecNetworkCulPropProtNet) Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2005 23:50:01 +0100 Subject: [CPProt.net] As prices of Egyptian antiquities auctioned abroad continue to rise, Jill Kamil considers the role smuggling continues to play in the trade Message-ID: <20050114225006.DUGM22540.amsfep16-int.chello.nl@cremers> Changing hands As prices of Egyptian antiquities auctioned abroad continue to rise, Jill Kamil considers the role smuggling continues to play in the trade So long as there is a demand for the produce, illegal excavations and the smuggling of antiquities will continue. Unscrupulous connoisseurs are always on the lookout for interesting artefacts to add to their private collections, or to donate to the nation. As a result, high quality relics are freely available on the international market, and interested parties are prepared to pay large sums in order to acquire the objects of their desire. The appetite for Egyptian antiquities is undiminished, as is clear from a glance at the recent auction catalogues of houses such as Bonhams, Christie's or Sotherby's. Of course, sales at reputable houses are carefully monitored by responsible professionals who ensure, as best they can, that they are handing only legal fare. Details of the provenance of objects are provided, along with publication details of similar pieces, and a history of the movement of objects through the market. But the system is far from foolproof. In 2002 a set of granite reliefs from the Temple of Isis at Beihbet Al-Hegara in the Delta turned up on the auction block at Christie's in New York. They were recognised by French Egyptologist Christine Meeks, who had studied and documented the entire temple for her doctoral thesis, as those that had disappeared from the site eight years previously. The sale was stopped, the objects withdrawn, and they have now been returned to Egypt. In 2004, another piece from the same temple turned up -- a fragment of granite relief featuring the face of a deity facing left. Christie's declined to reveal the source of the piece even under pressure, but agreed to withdraw it from the sale. It was then confiscated by the United States authorities and steps have been taken to return it to Egypt. There is a certain irony in the pomp and circumstance that surrounds the retrieval of such stolen goods. Much fuss is made of their discovery after the fact, but there is little mention of any steps being taken for the protection of the monuments from which they were looted. There are now hundreds of archaeological sites all over Egypt that are still inadequately protected. To leave them thus open and exposed is to place temptation in the way of would- be looters and smugglers. During the 2002-3 archaeological season, one member of a foreign mission with a concession to excavate at Mit Rahina (ancient Memphis) reported that one day, as their team of hired workers were downing tools and headed for home, "a team of grave robbers could be seen approaching from the other direction over the horizon." At Giza, outside the protective wall raised around this famous archaeological site, robbers do not even wait until dark to carry out their illegal and lucrative activities. Last month we learned that 619 Pharaonic artefacts, stolen from the Egyptian Museum in 2000 and smuggled to London via Switzerland, were shortly to be retrieved and returned to Egypt following the arrest of the thieves by the British authorities. But no sooner had this announcement been made, than it was revealed that 15 antiquities which had disappeared from the stores at the College of Fine Arts and the Maadi Museum, were up for auction in United Kingdom. Zahi Hawass of the Supreme Council of Antiquities promptly advised the minister of culture and Interpol to stop the sale. "Auctioneers abroad have been cooperating with us," Hawass said. "However, they do sell items if we do not submit the necessary paperwork within a specified time." Antiquities police recently traced and arrested a seven-member gang operating in Establ Antar west of Assiut for illegal trading in antiquities. Yet this coup is just the tail end of a long list of arrests that go back over 30 years. The antiquities thieves are not all galabeya -clad fellahin as the stereotype has it, or traders like those who were caught red- handed last year in Minya carrying stolen artefacts for which a dealer was going to pay them LE5 million ( The Egyptian Gazette, 21 May 2003) Indeed, many of them work through intermediaries, and some of the foreign collectors of illegally-obtained Egyptian antiquities have proved in the past to be well-known curators of museums abroad. As Major-General Kamal El-Naggar, head of the Tourism and Antiquities Police, admitted last year, "it is difficult to curb the flow of smuggled Egyptian treasures, because they are found over such a widespread area [that] we cannot keep track of them all." He added that "well-trained private guards" had been appointed to replace illiterate night-watchmen, and that policemen regularly check their performance. Nevertheless, El-Naggar conceded it was still likely that "some of these guards who are young and inexperienced will not resist the temptation of mind-boggling sums of money from antiquities dealers," ( The Egyptian Gazette, 11 May 2003). Unfortunately, the antiquities smuggling trade embraces all levels, from the lowest to the highest. It was revealed last year that Tarek El-Siwaissi, chairman of the National Democratic Party's (NDP) office in the Giza Governorate, had been remanded in custody for 15 days pending investigation. El-Siwaissi was accused of having amassed a huge fortune -- estimated at LE33 million -- from smuggling Pharaonic antiquities to Europe and America over the previous two years. He had allegedly made hefty bribes to certain high- ranking NDP figures to ensure his selection as chairman of the NDP office in Egypt's primary antiquities area, where he would have easy access to antiquities officials who would help him conduct his illicit smuggling. Six officials --four of whom are still on the run -- were also implicated in the scandal ( Al-Ahram Weekly, 22-28 May 2003) Back in 1972, following the UNESCO agreement that all archaeological items proven to have been stolen must be handed back to their country of origin, Egypt went into full ostrich-head-in-the-sand mode. If you believed official pronouncements, no objects had ever been smuggled out of Egypt! Only in the 1990s did the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) manage to establish ties with the International Police Organisation (Interpol) and customs agencies across the world. Together with the newly-formed Department for the Recovery of Stolen Artefacts (DRSA), the SCA began to mount the watch for signs of lost treasures. And it was only nine years ago, in April 1995, that Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni for the first time admitted that over 300 artefacts had been stolen, mostly from store-houses, and smuggled abroad since 1969 ( Egyptian Gazette, 4 April 1995). Hosni's announcement provoked bitter criticism, especially when he admitted that the storehouses at archaeological sites had not been inspected for 50 years. What he failed to mention was that, 10 years ago, most provincial museums did not even have a padlock on their doors. Nor would they have done much good if they had. In 1995, thieves burrowed through the wall of a storeroom used to house artefacts at the Temple of Montu in Karnak, and looted some 55 scarabs and statues. Amid all the celebrations over their recovery, silence continued to enfold the conditions that had enabled the looting of the treasures in the first place. The same applies to the more recent recovery of four fragments of a painted limestone relief from the tomb of Seti I at Luxor, depicting standing figures of the dead Pharaoh before a number of gods. The missing fragments came to light at Atlanta's Michael C Carlos Museum, on the occasion of the opening of an exhibition entitled Ramses I -- The Search for the Lost Pharaoh. According to the curator, when the consignment of Pharaonic objects arrived from the Niagara Falls Museum, he immediately recognised the distinctive style of Seti's tomb, which has been officially closed to the public for many years while being restored by person or persons undisclosed. Meanwhile, the market for Egyptian antiquities continues to witness astonishing price inflation. What exactly is the worth of the treasures to which we constantly refer as invaluable? Auction prices in London and New York may give some idea. Yet the specialists who evaluate the masterpieces that pass through these houses have sometimes expressed surprise that buyers are willing to bid so far beyond their professional assessment. Take the exquisitely carved Late Period basalt block statue of General Pakyr(er) which was recently sold at Bonhams. This is an extraordinarily beautiful work of art, and was well groomed for the sales preview, being exhibited in a well-lit glass showcase enabling the 31.4cm-high figure to be seen from all angles. The general is shown seated on a small pillow, his legs dawn up high in front of him, both arms resting on his knees. He is enveloped in a cloak from which his hands emerge. The left hand is held flat with the palm facing down, while the right clutches a kerchief. He also sports a broad double wig and a short slightly flaring beard. General Pkyr(er)'s facial features are finely carved, his nose alone being damaged, and he has full outlined lips. The four-line inscription on the front of his robe reads: "O Horus, good bull, give life, prosperity, a long lifetime, and a very good old age (to) General Pkyr(er), son of Horwedja." The two-column inscription on the back reads: "O Horus, mighty bull, may your living protection be effective...." The initial asking price for this well-known and well-documented work of art (from the "Omar Pacha Sultan Collection, probably ex Michel Abemayor, New York, ex Baratt-Brown Collection", according to the catalogue) was ?200,000--300,000. When the auction commenced, however, there was a palpable intake of breath as bids were raised, and raised again -- whether in person, by telephone, by fax, e-mail or appointed agent was not exactly clear. Finally, the piece was sold for a cool ?600,000 -- double the expert's expectation. Admittedly, this was a well-known piece, published in the literature in 1929, 1935, 1960 and 1995. It was previously sold at Sotheby's New York in 1997 (lot 52), before moving on to Bonhams. Nevertheless, the astronomical price paid does give an idea of the amount that interested parties and their agents, including national collections, are now willing to pay. The Bonhams sale of selected masterpieces also included a Romano- Egyptian solid gold arm bracelet in the form of a snake, weighting 146.4 grams, dating to around the first century AD. With its naturalistically modelled head and cross-hatching indicating the skin terminating in an undulating tail, it is an exquisite piece of jewellery, similar to those in the hoard of 36 gold bracelets and two gold rings discovered in 1905 in the Kom Abu Bello area in the Delta Governorate of Beheira, and which were reported "missing from the basement of the Egyptian Museum" three months ago ( Al-Ahram Weekly, 5 August 2004). Theft from a major museum need not necessarily imply neglect or faulty security systems. As Egyptians are wont to point out, it happens all over the world. Witness the apparent ease with which on 2 November 2004, thieves stole 15 rare items of mediaeval Chinese jewellery from the British Museum, including historically important gold earrings, amulets and hair pins dating between 700 and 1400 AD. Fortunately, the missing jewellery from the Egyptian Museum was located after a three-month search, and the Supreme Council of Antiquities was able to announce its success. But that still begs the question: what was each of those bracelets worth? Turning again to the snake bracelet included in the Bonhams sale, with its guarantee of protection, good health and fertility to its anonymous owner, this was clearly a particularly fine piece (Published: Christie's 1997, p 61, lot 210; Literature: Cf J Ogden 1992, pp 8-9). The estimate in Bonhams catalogue was between ?15,000 and ?20,000. But when the hammer finally came down, the bid was at ?66,920. This result shows how some especially worthwhile artefacts can change hands time and again -- often commanding increasing prices. A 7.6cm long Horus Eye -- that most powerful of protective amulets -- rimmed with blue Egyptian glass and with a shell obsidian eye inlay complete with blue glass eye-brow (ex-Christie's sale [lot 66] in 1998) was estimated as between ?4,000 and ?5,000. The auctioneer finally brought down the hammer at ?6,573. Auction houses do not intentionally handle smuggled antiquities. But how many items in their lots may in fact come from questionable sources? It is hard to put a figure on it. Sometimes large collections arrive at auction with a precise and accurate history. Other times, the only reference made is to literature in which a "similar object" is described, or the museum in which a "similar object" is displayed. No provenance. No acquisition data. It is a vicious circle. Not all the sites of new discoveries which make the headlines are effectively guarded, despite assurances to the contrary. Much publicity is given to the retrieval of Egyptian antiquities from abroad, but steps to prevent the desecration of monuments in the first place remain frankly less than adequate. Meanwhile, the promotion of Egypt's heritage through exhibitions of unique and unparalleled objects abroad successfully promotes a greater appreciation of the Ancient Egyptian culture and encourages tourism, but it also stimulates market interest in Egyptian antiquities, thus encouraging criminal elements to run the risks involved in looting and smuggling, in the hope of ever more substantial rewards. There is a continual flow of Pharaonic slate palettes, pottery shards, glazed figurines, bronze statuettes, Coptic stone carved heads and tapestries, amulets and Graeco-Roman objects out of Egypt. Some of these objects appear for auction on a regular basis. Last month's successful raid by the antiquities police on the private dwelling of an antiquities dealer in Badrashin (ancient Memphis), which resulted in the confiscation of what the press described as a "horde of treasures, mostly Graeco- Roman", all ready for shipment abroad, is proof that the business is thriving. For every thief caught in the act, one can only wonder how many successful attempts at smuggling still go undetected. C a p t i o n : Two views of General Pkyr(er); Shell and obsidian eye rimmed with blue glass cosmetic line and eyebrow; Romano-Egyptian gold snake bracelet ? Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved From museum-security at museum-security.org Fri Jan 14 23:53:40 2005 From: museum-security at museum-security.org (MusSecNetworkCulPropProtNet) Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2005 23:53:40 +0100 Subject: [CPProt.net] FW: Guardian Unlimited | Arts news | Back to school for binmen whothought modern art was a load of old rubbish Message-ID: <20050114225345.PNEK14848.amsfep17-int.chello.nl@cremers> Back to school for binmen who thought modern art was a load of old rubbish Ben Aris in Berlin Thursday January 13, 2005 To the dustmen of Frankfurt, they were a mess that needed to be cleared from the streets of their spotless city. The yellow plastic sheets were swiftly scooped up, crushed and burned. But the diligence of the rubbish collectors was little consolation to the city's prestigious art academy, which is now ruing the loss of an important work. Unknown to the binmen, the sheets were part of a city-wide exhibition of modern sculpture by Michael Beutler, a graduate of Frankfurt's St?del art school. Thirty of the dustmen are now being sent to modern art classes to try to ensure that the same mistake never happens again. The head of Frankfurt's sanitation department, Peter Postleb, took responsibility for the destruction of the sculpture, saying that confusing the plastic sheets with rubbish was an easy mistake to make. He thought they were abandoned building materials. Mr Postleb said he noticed the pile as he was driving through the city. It was raining, which didn't make things any easier, he said. "As the weather was bad I thought it was construction workers who had dumped their materials on the street and called my people to come and take it away," he said. "I didn't recognise it as art and there was no sign or anything to show it was art." He only realised his mistake a few days later when he read about the exhibition in a local paper. "I instantly called the depot, but they told me that it had already been thrown into the incinerator," he said. Embarrassed, Mr Postleb contacted Beutler, who, he said, took the news well. The exhibition is due to finish at the end of the week and Mr Postleb has offered to clear away the other nine sculptures at his own expense. The monthly "Check Your Art Sense" lessons, which start on Sunday, will involve the dustmen being shown two pictures: one from the museum's permanent exhibition and another lesser-known work from the archive. Then they will be asked to discuss the differences between them. http://www.guardian.co.uk/ From museum-security at museum-security.org Fri Jan 14 23:53:40 2005 From: museum-security at museum-security.org (MusSecNetworkCulPropProtNet) Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2005 23:53:40 +0100 Subject: [CPProt.net] FBI Art-Theft Team Meets In Philly Message-ID: <20050114225349.PNFA14848.amsfep17-int.chello.nl@cremers> FBI Art-Theft Team Meets In Philly Jan 13, 2005 10:43 pm US/Eastern PHILADELPHIA (AP) Philadelphia Art theft may conjure up images of a suave movie villain creeping through a dark gallery or perhaps last year's bold daylight robbery of Edvard Munch's "The Scream'' from a Norway museum. But most art heists are far more subtle, involving forged documents, fake prints or smuggled cultural artifacts that slowly make their way into private or museum hands. It's a huge industry: Interpol ranks it third among property crimes worldwide. In Philadelphia this week, a new national FBI task force on stolen art is meeting with museum curators and scholars to learn more about the global trade, and how to tackle it. Worldwide, only 5 to 10 percent of artwork reported stolen is recovered, said Lynne Richardson, who manages the art theft program at FBI headquarters in Washington. She hopes the group can learn more about how purloined art makes its way to U.S. shores. ``We would like to identify more smuggling groups, and more organized crime groups that are involved in this,'' she said. The eight task force members visited curators at the Impressionist-rich Barnes Museum, conservationists at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and archaeologists at the University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, as well as art and antiques dealers. Most art stolen in the United States is taken during residential burglaries, the FBI said. But perhaps the bigger problem is the sale of art stolen offshore to eager U.S. buyers, who may or may not sense their illicit history. ``By the time they arrive here, they have (forged ownership) papers on them,'' Richardson said. Although collectors can be prosecuted for buying art that they know or should know is stolen, that rarely happens. More often, prosecutors in recent years have gone after shady dealers, such as Frederick Schultz, a prominent New York art dealer now serving a 33-month sentence for trading in stolen Egyptian antiquities. In a memorable Philadelphia case, the FBI set up a successful 1997 sting to recover a 1,500-year-old Peruvian ``backflap'' a piece of gold armor worn by warriors looted a decade earlier from a Mochu lord's grave in northern Peru. While Peru got the $1.6 million treasure back, the Miami smugglers who tried to sell it to an undercover agent spent just a few months in prison. The real target of the probe Panamanian ambassador Francisco Iglesias, who allegedly helped get the large piece to New York through diplomatic mail fled the United States and remains a fugitive. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bob Goldman, one of two federal prosecutors on the FBI task force, handled the ``backflap'' case and others involving a Civil War expert who staged phony appraisals on the PBS series ``Antiques Roadshow'' and antique gun dealers who conned a Colt firearms collector from Bucks County out of about $20 million. ``Every which way you can defraud somebody, it's taking place in the high-end art industry,'' Goldman said. At Penn's museum on Thursday, Penn archaeologist Clark Erickson described the pervasive looting that experts say has ravaged nearly all of Peru's ancient archaeological sites. The looters locals who can make as much as $1,000 selling a sought-after find to middlemen are increasingly market-savvy, switching their hunt from metals to textiles, for instance, as demand and prices change. Archaeological sites in poor or unstable countries including Iraq and Afghanistan are the most vulnerable. Experts have reported massive looting in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein, whose regime threatened looters of antiquities with the death penalty. ``With some of new anti-terrorism laws, I expected this huge increase in announcements about intercepting smuggled archaeological material. And it doesn't seem to be happening,'' Erickson said. Statistics on stolen art are virtually impossible to tally, but federal prosecutors in Philadelphia say they've prosecuted about $100 million in art fraud in the past four years alone. In creating the task force, the FBI joins Scotland Yard, Italian police and other European authorities who have long had special units devoted to art theft. ``The art world is so huge, things can easily disappear, whether on the black market or the legitimate market,'' Richardson said. http://kyw.com/Local%20News/local_story_013230655.html From museum-security at museum-security.org Fri Jan 14 23:57:04 2005 From: museum-security at museum-security.org (MusSecNetworkCulPropProtNet) Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2005 23:57:04 +0100 Subject: [CPProt.net] Kunstdiebe lieben Frankreichs Kirchen / art thieves love French churches Message-ID: <20050114225709.FNNR16287.amsfep19-int.chello.nl@cremers> Wenigstens die Schwarze Madonna kehrt nach Jahrzehnten zur?ck - Geraubte Gegenst?nde landen oft bei Sammlern im Ausland Kunstdiebe lieben Frankreichs Kirchen Von Jutta Hartlieb Jan 14, 2005 Manchmal gibt es wenigstens ein HappyEnd - so wie in Saint-Gervazy in der zentralfranz?sischen Auvergne. Die 300 Einwohner des malerischen Dorfes sollen im Fr?hjahr das Glanzst?ck ihrer kleinen Kirche zur?ck bekommen. Es handelt sich um eine wertvolle Madonnenstatue aus dem 12. Jahrhundert, die am 18. Juni 1983 gestohlen worden war. Doch es ist nur eine gl?cklich verlaufene Episode aus der langen Reihe von Kirchendiebst?hlen in Frankreich. Nach einer Reise durch halb Europa landete die Schwarze Madonna im Mai 2000 in einem Auktionshaus in Madrid, wo die Beh?rden gerade noch einen Verkauf verhindern und das Kunstwerk zur?ckholen konnten. Bald soll die Statue ihren alten Platz in der Dorfkirche wiederfinden; erst einmal wird eine Alarmanlage eingebaut. Die Geschichte der Schwarzen Madonna wirft ein Schlaglicht auf ein Ph?nomen, das Kunstexperten und Gl?ubigen gleicherma?en Sorge bereitet: Frankreichs Kirchen sind ein Tummelplatz f?r Kunstdiebe, wie erst dieser Tage der Prozess gegen die Raubz?ge des els?ssischen Kunst-Kleptomanen St?phane Breitwieser deutlich machte. Er klaute aus Kirchen und Kapellen Statuen, alte Opferbecken oder Messgef??e und nutzte dabei dreist die zumeist schlechten Sicherheitsvorkehrungen aus. Breitwieser sei zwar insofern ein Sonderfall, als er die gestohlenen Objekte gesammelt und nicht verh?kert habe, erl?utert Bernard Darties von der Zentralstelle zur Bek?mpfung des illegalen Kunsthandels im Pariser Innenministerium. Diebst?hle aus Gottesh?usern seien in Frankreich aber alles andere als eine Seltenheit. Rund 1500 Kunstwerke, Statuen, Gem?lde, aber auch sakrale Gegenst?nde wie Tabernakel und Messgef??e verschwinden demnach j?hrlich aus den etwa 45000 franz?sischen Kirchen - die damit die meistgepl?nderten Gottesh?user der Welt sind. Und die Tendenz ist steigend. Dank wachsender Nachfrage von reichen Sammlern im Ausland ist Kunstraub fast so lukrativ wie Drogenhandel. Zudem sind in Frankreich, wo es keine Kirchensteuer gibt und die Kirchen vergleichsweise arm sind, viele Gottesh?user schlecht oder gar nicht gegen Diebstahl gesichert. Zahlreiche Kunstwerke sind nicht ordentlich registriert, oft gibt es nicht mal Fotos. Die Diebe handeln meist im Auftrag ausl?ndischer Tr?dler oder Antiquit?tenh?ndler, was die Fahndung erschwert. Ein Grund daf?r ist die uneinheitliche Gesetzgebung. Im Gegensatz etwa zu Frankreich verpflichten andere L?nder Antiquit?tenh?ndler nicht, ein Register f?r die Polizei zu f?hren. Besonders beliebte Drehscheiben f?r Raubkunst sind Belgien, die Niederlande und Gro?britannien. Von dort w?rden die gestohlenen Gegenst?nde nicht selten nach ?bersee verkauft, vor allem nach Japan und in die USA, erl?utert Darties. Auch die Spur der Schwarzen Madonna von Saint-Gervazy f?hrte zeitweise in die USA. Ein eigens nach New York entsandter Fahnder kehrte jedoch unverrichteter Dinge zur?ck. Nur einem Zufall ist es zu verdanken, wenn die Statue schlie?lich aufgest?bert wurde. Ein aus der Auvergne stammender Kunststudent erkannte sie im Katalog des Auktionshauses und alarmierte die Beh?rden. In der Normandie f?hrte 2001 ein ?hnlicher Gl?cksfall zur Sprengung einer niederl?ndischen Bande. Einem Besucher der Antiquit?tenmesse von Paris fiel ein gerahmter Spiegel auf, der f?r rund 45000 Euro angeboten wurde. Der Rahmen geh?rte zu einem Gem?lde, das aus einer Kirche in Daubeuf-Seville verschwunden war. Die Diebe hatten im Auftrag eines Maastrichter H?ndlers zugelangt. Bei Hausdurchsuchungen wurden gut 60 gestohlene Kunstgegenst?nde beschlagnahmt, die meisten stammten aus franz?sischen Kirchen. Ein ?hnlicher Schlag gelang im April 2003 im s?dfranz?sischen D?partement Aveyron. Dort wurde eine Gruppe von Franzosen dingfest gemacht, die in zwei Jahren mehr als 800 Objekte entwendet hatten. 78 Objekte wurden sichergestellt, die ?brigen waren l?ngst an Tr?dler und Antiquit?tenh?ndler verscherbelt. Die Chancen, sie eines Tages wiederzufinden, sind nicht allzu gro?. Experten zufolge erhalten die gepl?nderten Kirchen nur etwa ein Zehntel der Kunstgegenst?nde irgendwann zur?ck.(afp) http://www.netecho.info/ Google translation: At least the black Madonna returns after decades - robbed articles often land with collecting tanks abroad Art thieves love of France churches Of Jutta harddear Sometimes it gives at least a HappyEnd - as in Saint Gervazy in the centralFrench Auvergne. The 300 inhabitants of the pictorial village are to get the piece of gloss of their small church in the spring back. It concerns a valuable madonnenstatue out of that 12. Century, which had been stolen on 18 June 1983. But it is only an episode from the long series of church thefts, run lucky, in France. After a journey through half Europe landed the black Madonna in May 2000 in an auction house in Madrid, where the authorities straight could prevent still another sales and fetch the work of art back. Soon the statue is to regain their old place in the village church; only once an alarm installation is inserted. The history of the black Madonna throws an impact light on a phenomenon, which prepares art experts and Glaeubigen equally concern: Of France churches are a Tummelplatz for art thieves, as only these days the process made clear against the raids of the elsaessischen art Kleptomanen St?phane Breitwieser. He klaute mostly bad safety precautions from churches and chapels statues, old victim basins or measuring cups and used thereby dreist out. Breitwieser is to that extent a special case, when he collected and did not verhoekert the stolen objects, describes Berne pool of broadcasting corporations Darties from the central office to the fight of the illegal art trade in Paris ministries of the Interior. Thefts from places of worship are in France however everything else as a rarity. Approximately 1500 works of art, statues, paintings, in addition, sakrale articles such as tabernakel and measuring cups disappear therefore annually from that about 45000 French churches - which are thereby the meistgepluenderten places of worship of the world. And the tendency is rising. Owing to increasing demand of rich collecting tanks abroad art robbery is nearly as lucrative as drug trade. Besides many places of worship are bad or not at all against theft secured in France, where there is no church tax and the churches is comparatively poor. Numerous works of art are not properly registered, often give it not times to photos. The thieves act usually on behalf of foreign troedler or antique dealers, which makes the search more difficult. A reason for it is the non-uniform legislation. In contrast for instance to France other countries antique dealers do not obligate to lead a register for the police. Particularly popular turntables for robbery art are Belgium, the Netherlands and Great Britain. The stolen articles were sold from there not rarely to overseas, particularly to Japan and into the USA, describe Darties. Also the trace of the black Madonna of Saint Gervazy led occasionally into the USA. Particularly to New York sent investigators returned however unfinished things. Only it is to be owed to a coincidence, if the statue were finally aufgestoebert. From the Auvergne coming art student recognized it in the catalog of the auction house and alarmed the authorities. In normandy 2001 a similar stroke of luck led to the breakup of a Netherlands gang. A framed mirror was noticeable to a visitor of the antique fair of Paris, for approximately 45000 euro one offered. The framework belonged to a painting, which had disappeared from a church in Daubeuf Seville. The thieves had course-been enough on behalf of a Maastrichter of dealer. With house searches well 60 stolen art articles were seized, most originated from French churches. A similar impact succeeded in April 2003 in the Southern French D?partement Aveyron. There a group was made secured by Frenchmen, who had stolen than 800 objects in two years more. 78 objects were guaranteed, the remaining were long verscherbelt at troedler and antique dealers. The chances to regain it a daily are not large too. According to experts the gepluenderten churches receive only about a tenth of the art articles sometime back.(afp) http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.netecho.info%2Fschl agzeilen%2Frubrik.asp%3Fa%3D%257B6E41D2E1-8922-4B66-8E1B-B600DF06F327%257D&l angpair=de%7Cen&hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&prev=%2Flanguage_tools From museum-security at museum-security.org Sat Jan 15 00:19:48 2005 From: museum-security at museum-security.org (MusSecNetworkCulPropProtNet) Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2005 00:19:48 +0100 Subject: [CPProt.net] China: Protecting relics tops priorities Message-ID: <20050114231953.SHAJ1891.amsfep20-int.chello.nl@cremers> Protecting relics tops priorities By Li Jing (China Daily) Updated: 2005-01-14 00:13 Beijing heritage guardians will place the protection of cultural relics at the top of their work agenda this year, the city's Vice-Mayor Zhao Mao said on Friday. A recent survey conducted by the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage shows that nearly 600 ancient wooden buildings, used as housing or as workplaces, are at serious risk of fire. Meanwhile, more than 100 cultural relics scattered in the suburbs around the city, such as some ancient tombs and temples, are vulnerable to theft since nobody is guarding them. "Safety is vital to the protection of our heritage. Fire and theft are the most severe challenges we face," Zhao told a conference on Friday in Beijing. Zhang, who is in charge of heritage protection of the city, recalled a blaze in June last year that burnt down some buildings of the 720-year-old Huguo Temple in the city's Xicheng District. "The fire sounded an alarm for the safety of cultural heritage," Zhang warned. He stressed that "eliminating the risks of fire and theft at ancient sites should be the top priority for leaders and officials involved in this field." According to the municipal heritage administration, more than half of the city's 3,500 cultural heritage sites are currently used as housing or workplaces. Cooking, heating and electrical appliances pose great threats to the wooden structures. Mei Ninghua, head of the administration, told the conference that the local government of Chongwen District had moved people out of its heritage sites under city and State protection. "Evacuation is an important way for use to guarantee the safety of our cultural heritage," said Mei, adding that his administration plans to relocate people in several key heritage sites such as the buildings at the eastern part of the Wanshou Temple, which was built in 1577 and served as temporary accommodation for the emperors of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). In his work report to yesterday's meeting, Mei also mentioned that a total of 32 cultural heritage sites, including the Temple of Buddhist Incense at the Summer Palace and some parts of the Great Wall, will be renovated this year. The municipal government has pledged to invest 120 million yuan (US$14.5 million) in heritage renovation every year between 2003 and 2007. Some 100 cultural relics are also expected to be renovated during the period. Reviewing last year's work, Mei said the most prominent event was the "explosive" development of the relics auction market. A total of 72,834 ancient works of art went under the hammer last year, raising nearly 4 billion yuan (US$484 million), a year-on-year increase of 240 per cent, he said. "A single auction last year even managed to raise 650 million yuan (US$78.6 million). The figure is bigger than the total amount raised at all auctions a couple of years before," said Mei. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/ From museum-security at museum-security.org Sat Jan 15 00:26:29 2005 From: museum-security at museum-security.org (MusSecNetworkCulPropProtNet) Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2005 00:26:29 +0100 Subject: [CPProt.net] Looting Iraq: A Conversation With Museum Director Donny George Message-ID: <20050114232634.XOXJ27281.amsfep18-int.chello.nl@cremers> Looting Iraq: A Conversation With Museum Director Donny George Jan. 14 (Bloomberg) -- For Iraqi archaeologists, these are stressful times. While some of the artifacts stolen from the Iraq National Museum in Baghdad have been returned, theft and systematic looting continue at archaeological sites throughout the country, especially in the south. Safeguarding the heritage of Iraq -- the cradle of the civilized world -- requires the assistance of U.S. organizations at a time when it is dangerous for Iraqis to associate openly with Americans. Looters are steadily digging up ancient statues, tablets and other artifacts from more than 10,000 sites, said Donny George, Iraq's director of museums. Earlier this month, he attended the Archaeological Institute of America's annual meeting in Boston and gave a press conference at the headquarters of the World Monuments Fund, a New York-based non-profit. Of the estimated 15,000 artifacts taken from the National Museum during the invasion, which began in March 2003, only about 4,000 have been recovered. To help track lost items and document what remains, the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage is creating a database of Iraqi cultural and archaeological sites with the help of the WMF and the Los Angeles-based Getty Conservation Institute, an arm of the J. Paul Getty Trust. George, 54, is a native Iraqi who has worked for the Iraqi heritage board as an archaeologist for 28 years. He spoke with Bloomberg's Philip Boroff by telephone from Boston. Saddam's Ego Boroff: Did Saddam Hussein take good care of Iraq's cultural heritage? George: Not really. It was for the sake of his own image, to put himself in the line of ancient leaders of Iraq. There were projects ordered by him built on archaeological sites. Boroff: Were you surprised about the looting when the war started? George: I thought the Americans would take better care. I myself had information that there were people gathered in London, waiting for the day the U.S. entered. Maybe their (hired) hands were sent to Iraq. Boroff: Was the looting of the museum an inside job? George: Some of the looters had information from inside the museum. The ones who went inside the storerooms must have had information to get what they wanted. Disappeared Boroff: What's still missing? George: They took every kind of ancient material: cylinder seals (used to stamp legal documents and record images onto clay), jewelry, statues, pottery. One very important piece of ivory represents a lioness with a Nubian, inlaid with gems. It's from 800 B.C. from Nimrud. There's also a headless, half-sized statue of a Sumerian king made of stone. Boroff: What market is there for this? George: There's no legal market for stolen material. Since 1936, Iraqi law has forbidden selling antiquities. It is well- known worldwide that Iraqi antiquities are not for sale. Boroff: How many of Iraq's archaeological sites have been damaged? George: I don't have an estimate, but a lot in the southern part of the country. Some are completely damaged. Umma is about eight square kilometers, a Sumerian city, with pits and holes all over the site. If you see an aerial photo, you will imagine a lunar surface. Sumer Boroff: How are these sites valuable to world civilization? George: An archaeological site is a kind of a book. This book has to be read page by page. If you destroy these pages, you lose a tremendous amount of information. The southern part of the country is part of Sumer, the first civilization. They are destroying the beginning of mankind. Boroff: Are U.S. bombs damaging your heritage? George: Ninety-nine percent of the damage is by the looters. Boroff: How will a database help? George: We will engage people to monitor and manage. It will include having people all over the area. We have started the facility protection systems police. Their duty is to control the archaeological sites. We have 1,750. Most have guns. Some have cars. They are not enough. We need three or four times that. Boroff: The killing of Iraqi police must make recruiting more difficult. Courage George: Yes, but many Iraqis are courageous enough to be recruited to protect these sites. Boroff: Do you personally use security to get to work? George: If you have protection, you will have eyes on you. We are using our personal cars to come and go. When I go out from home I pray. I don't know if I'll make it or not. It's the same when I go home. You don't know if you'll be trapped in a shooting or be a target yourself. Boroff: Do think of leaving Iraq? George: I have more relatives outside the country than inside. But I'm a specialist in archaeology, and I can't leave my country. I believe 100 percent in this. Boroff: Should the elections this month be postponed? George: I think they should postpone the election for something like six more months, just to give more time for the Iraqi national guards and police and U.S. forces to cut off these insurgents. If they postpone the election, they could give more time for the forces to finish the job. We might lose a lot of people coming to the polls. To contact the reporter on this story: Philip Boroff in New York pboroff at bloomberg.net. To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff in New York at mhoelterhoff at bloomberg.net. Last Updated: January 14, 2005 00:01 EST http://quote.bloomberg.com/ From museum-security at museum-security.org Sat Jan 15 17:18:40 2005 From: museum-security at museum-security.org (MusSecNetworkCulPropProtNet) Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2005 17:18:40 +0100 Subject: [CPProt.net] =?iso-8859-1?q?FW=3A_Plus_de_28_000_objets_d=27art_?= =?iso-8859-1?q?retrouv=E9s_en_Italieen_2004?= Message-ID: <20050115161846.QPTG14848.amsfep17-int.chello.nl@cremers> Plus de 28 000 objets d'art retrouv?s en Italie en 2004 Jan 15, 2005 Agence France-Presse Rome La police italienne sp?cialis?e dans la protection du patrimoine a retrouv?, en 2004, 28 000 objets d'art, dont un masque fun?raire pr?-inca, un Corot, un Pinturicchio et un buste de l'empereur Trajan. Au cours d'une conf?rence de presse, les carabiniers ont pr?sent? une centaine d'amphores, de vases, de coupes en terre cuite, des ustensiles en bronze, datant de la civilisation ?trusque ou d?rob?s lors du pillage de lieux arch?ologiques dans les Pouilles. Sur les 28 000 objets r?cup?r?s, environ 17 000 sont des restes arch?ologiques, les autres ?tant des tableaux, des pi?ces de monnaie, a expliqu? le g?n?ral Ugo Zottin, commandant des carabiniers. ?C'est un bilan tr?s positif?, a-t-il ajout?, soulignant que le nombre des vols ?tait en baisse de 8 %, certainement en raison de la dissuasion et d'importantes condamnations prononc?es r?cemment, a ajout? le g?n?ral Zottin. Il a tout de m?me signal? encore 1900 vols en 2004 dans les quelque 100 000 ?glises italiennes, ?des objets faciles ? voler dans des lieux tr?s vuln?rables?. ?Une oeuvre vol?e en 2004 ne se retrouve pas forc?ment la m?me ann?e. Mais nous avons une banque de donn?es depuis les ann?es 80, que nous enrichissons chaque jour, et la coop?ration avec Interpol fonctionne de mani?re optimale?, a-t-il ajout?. Si les enqu?tes sont longues, elles portent leurs fruits. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/ From museum-security at museum-security.org Sat Jan 15 19:44:55 2005 From: museum-security at museum-security.org (MusSecNetworkCulPropProtNet) Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2005 19:44:55 +0100 Subject: [CPProt.net] Ancient Babylon site wrecked by US-led forces: British Museum Message-ID: <20050115184456.UROM24449.amsfep12-int.chello.nl@cremers> Ancient Babylon site wrecked by US-led forces: British Museum LONDON : US-led forces in Iraq have caused irreparable damage to the site of the ancient city of Babylon, contaminating the soil and destroying archaeological evidence, according to a damning report by the British Museum. According to John Curtis, curator of the museum's Ancient Near East department, the site has suffered "substantial damage" while being used as a military depot by American and Polish forces for the past two years. "This is tantamount to establishing a military camp around the Great Pyramid in Egypt or around Stonehenge in Britain," Curtis charged in his report. "The status of future information about these areas will therefore be seriously compromised," he warned in comments that were published by Saturday's edition of the Guardian newspaper. Curtis has called for an international investigation to be carried out by archaeologists chosen by the Iraqi authorities, to compile a full inventory of damage sustained at the site, 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of Baghdad. The British Museum report follows an assessment mission carried out in Iraq in December at the request of a group of Iraqi antiquities experts. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/ From museum-security at museum-security.org Sat Jan 15 20:25:15 2005 From: museum-security at museum-security.org (MusSecNetworkCulPropProtNet) Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2005 20:25:15 +0100 Subject: [CPProt.net] Another valuable art theft in The Netherlands Message-ID: <20050115192515.VXYT14848.amsfep17-int.chello.nl@cremers> Less than one week after the major art theft at the Westfries Museum in Hoorn, The Netherlands (read information and see photographs at: http://www.museum-security.org )there has been another art heist. This time a church in Blitterswijck has been victimized. All valuable 15th to 18th century statues and paintings have been stolen. An attempt to open the church's safe was in vain. To prevent being caught red handed the burglars put mattresses in front of the church windows. Police is convinced that a 'professional gang' is responsible for this theft. Total damage is estimated to be tens of thousands of Euros. This time a Netherlands church was impaired. According to French police The Netherlands is a center of trade in stolen religious art from French churches. (Read about this at: http://te.verweg.com/pipermail/cpprot/2005-January/000634.html The past few years there have been a lot of art thefts in The Netherlands. There have been burglaries in the Frans Ha