Posted on: April 25, 2016 by Emily Gould
The launch event for the new Museums Code of Ethics took place at the Wellcome Collection last Friday, 22nd April. You would be forgiven for thinking that a Friday afternoon event to explore an ethics code might not be the greatest crowd-puller; but on this occasion, you’d be much mistaken. Almost 150 delegates came to […]
Posted on: April 20, 2016 by Emily Gould
It was heartening to read the report by Cahal Milmo in the i newspaper last week about the first application of the new Sentencing Guidelines for theft offences. The guidelines urge courts to take into account the special nature of heritage assets when sentencing offenders for theft crimes, giving official recognition to the devastating harm […]
Posted on: April 7, 2016 by Emily Gould
Significant developments on three of the stories we’ve been watching closely of late appeared in the news this week: Firstly, that the deferral on an export licence for the Sekhemka Statue has now been lifted, so it will almost certainly be leaving these shores before too long. Secondly, that pieces from the Gurlitt art hoard […]
Posted on: March 31, 2016 by Emily Gould
The UK Government’s long-awaited Culture White Paper was released last week. It is over 50 years since the sector was last given the limelight in this way, so it was with baited breath that we nervously hit the download button. The message which runs through the paper is certainly positive and upbeat. It talks of […]
Posted on: March 25, 2016 by Emily Gould
Those in the museum sector may be interested in attending a forthcoming event at the Natural History Museum on the financial valuation of museum collections. The conference will take place on 22 April 2016 and is called For what it’s worth: Essentials of collections valuation. The wide-ranging programme looks both fascinating and highly practical, covering […]
Posted on: by Emily Gould
It was reported earlier this month that BP’s controversial sponsorship of Tate which spans more than 25 years will be put to bed next year. BP cited the “extremely challenging business environment” as the reason behind the parting of ways. According to Tate’s website, the partnership has been to thank for the showing of many […]
Posted on: March 8, 2016 by Emily Gould
There is rarely a dull moment in the long-running saga of the Sekhemka statue, the rare Egyptian Old Kingdom sculpture controversially sold by Northampton Borough Council for £15.76 million in 2014. The piece had been displayed at the Northampton Museum and was sold by the Council to raise funds, incurring the wrath of the […]
Posted on: March 4, 2016 by Emily Gould
Last week I was musing on the way in which the same themes seem to pervade many different areas of the shady world of art crime. Continuing along this track, I wanted to offer a few thoughts on the role technology is increasingly playing here, from revealing forgeries to assessing damage from looting. While scientific […]
Posted on: March 2, 2016 by Emily Gould
News broke this week that fourteen men have been convicted of plotting to steal artefacts from UK museums estimated to be worth up to £57 million. After a four-year police operation, the final four defendants – the ‘generals’ of the gang – were brought to justice at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday. They’ll be sentenced […]
Posted on: February 19, 2016 by Emily Gould
We tend to think of street art as highly contemporary – edgy, modern and up to the minute in its commentary on the social and political controversies of the day. But what about cave paintings, medieval etchings, scrawls on the walls of the ancient city of Pompeii? The once-widespread notion that graffiti and street art […]