art

“How can I face a child today knowing what I know?”: Angry plea to end violence

/ Diane Marie Amann / Leave a comment

UntitledIt is the season of renewal, of anticipating the year to come. It is a time for revelry, but also for reflection. And reflection on this past year forces one to confront the grim reality of harms humans have wreaked upon other humans – on women, men, and children.

It is this last group of victims on which I have focused, in my service as International Criminal Court Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda‘s Special Adviser on Children in and Affected by Armed Conflict. Bensouda’s office has worked this year to  prepare a Policy Paper on Children, and this year the ICC Appeals Chamber sustained the court’s first conviction, against a militia leader responsible for child-soldiering crimes. But this year also saw untold crimes against chil

dren – not only tragically quotidian crimes of domestic abuse, but also spectacular outrages like last week’s lethal attack on a school in Pakistan, and the several instances of girls’ abduction or enslavement by groups like ISIS and Boko Haram.

It is this last group of victims, moreover, that this year spurred digital artist Corinne Whitaker to publish “Cradle Song,” an online book featuring images and poetry that she created. (As I’ve posted, Whitaker is the longtime publisher of a monthly webzine, Digital Giraffe, as well as the sister of colleague Ed Gordon.)

“Cradle Song” features pages of images like the one above, juxtaposed with verse-form text. “How can I face a child / today / knowing what I know?” it begins, then continues with angry, taut descriptions of what she knows – of, that is, the awful ways that armed violence affects children. Her refrain of questions – among them, “Why doesn’t someone / anyone / care?” – reminds us that we do, we must, care. And in this time of renewal, we must resolve to act.

(Cross-posted from Diane Marie Amann)

LA Times OpEd Distorts Both Archaeology and the Law

/ Tess Davis / 1 Comment

iStock_000003539805SmallAn op-ed on cultural patrimony laws in today’s Los Angeles Times has done a great disservice to the public by misrepresenting the purpose, history, impact, and very definition of such legislation.

In “The Archaeology Paradox: More Laws, Less Treasure,” Adam Wallwork argues that “tight restrictions on export and ownership of artifacts is leaving the world a poorer place.” Mr. Wallwork is not the first to call for a return to “the age of piracy,” in which tomb raiders could plunder archaeological sites with abandon (to borrow a phrase from Thomas Hoving, the Metropolitan Museum’s former director).  But he is the first, at least in a leading publication, to use this argument:

I surveyed 90 countries with one or more archaeological sites on UNESCO‘s World Heritage Site list, and my study shows that in most cases the number of discovered sites diminishes sharply after a country passes a cultural property law. There are 222 archaeological sites listed for those 90 countries. When you look into the history of the sites, you see that all but 21 were discovered before the passage of cultural property laws.

On average in art-rich countries, discoveries that landed on UNESCO’s list diminished by 90% after these laws were passed. To illustrate: Italy has seven archaeological sites on the World Heritage list; five were discovered before its 1909 cultural property law, but only two after.

Many variables may cause a drop-off in archaeological discoveries country by country, but statistically speaking, it’s nearly impossible that the decline shown in the data isn’t also related to the passage of cultural property laws.

This is a textbook case of mistaking correlation for causation. Yes, there are fewer archaeological discoveries in today’s world, especially of major ancient sites. However, there are fewer and fewer blank spaces on the map, too. And in fact, who can say that anyone ever “discovered” the Pyramids at Giza, the Acropolis in Athens, the Great Wall of China, or the vast majority of World Heritage nominations?

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Go On! DC Art Law Dinner One Week from Today. Register Here!

/ Tess Davis / 1 Comment

Go On! DC Art Law Dinner One Week from Today. Register Here!

The 3rd Annual Cultural Heritage and the Arts Dinner of the American Society of International Law (ASIL) is one week from today in Washington. Tickets cost $55 and include a three-course dinner at Cedar, voted one of DC’s best restaurants by the Washingtonian. The evening will give professionals, students, and members of the public a chance to interact and discuss the field of cultural heritage law. All are welcome. Registration is due by April 4 at the link above. 

 

Go On! Third Annual Cultural Heritage and the Arts Law Interest Group Dinner

/ Tess Davis / Leave a comment

DCThe Cultural Heritage and the Arts Interest Group (CHAIG) of the American Society of International Law (ASIL) invites you to its third annual dinner, which will take place on April 10 in Washington, DC.

While this event is hosted by CHAIG — and scheduled to correspond with the ASIL Annual Meeting/ILA Biennial Conference — all are welcome to attend. The dinner will give professionals, students, and members of the public a chance to interact and discuss the field of cultural heritage law.

Tickets cost $55 and include a three-course dinner at Cedar, voted one of DC’s best restaurants by the Washingtonian.

Registration is required by April 7, 2014.

For more information, visit the official website.

 

U.S. v. Cambodian Sculpture: 3 Years Later

/ Tess Davis / Leave a comment

U.S. v. Cambodian Sculpture: 3 Years Later

Exactly 3 years ago today, this thousand year old Khmer masterpiece was put on the auction block at Sotheby’s, where it was expected to fetch $3 million. It was pulled from sale when Cambodia demanded its return, citing evidence it had been looted during the country’s bloody civil war. 6 weeks later, the US government filed a civil forfeiture action, seeking to recover and repatriate the statue. This litigation made headlines around the world, and was only resolved 3 months ago, when Sotheby’s settled. To learn more about the case — U.S. v. 10th-century Cambodian Sandstone Sculpture — click the photo and visit the New York Times.

Go On! Study Art Law at the Tulane-Siena Institute

/ Tess Davis / Leave a comment

ImageThe Tulane-Siena Institute for International Law, Cultural Heritage, and the Arts is now accepting applications for its 3 week summer course in Tuscany. The program is based in historic Siena, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of Italy’s most beloved tourist destinations. It runs from 3-27 June 2014, during which time students will earn five ABA credits, and have the opportunity to take the following classes:

• The International Legal Framework for the Protection of Art and Cultural Property
• From Black to Gray: The Markets in Stolen and Looted Art and Antiquities
• Beyond the Law: The Ethics of Collectors and Collections
• The Protection of Art in Times of Crisis: From War to Natural Disasters

While designed for law students, the Tulane-Siena Institute welcomes other graduate students and professionals, including practicing lawyers. Indeed attorneys may be eligible to earn six Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits for each hour of academic credit awarded by the school. The application deadline is May 31, but apply now, as seats are limited.

To learn more and apply, visit the official website here.