Posted on: March 6, 2018 by Kiri Cragin Folwell
On Saturday 3rd March 2018 we were pleased to host an all-day study forum in London at the Queen Mary University’s Centre for Commercial Law Studies. The event had talks from expert speakers covering specific areas related to art and cultural heritage law. Talks included: ‘The Implementation of the Hague Convention and the work of […]
Posted on: December 12, 2017 by Holly Woodhouse
A golden crown dating from the fourth-century BC will be returned to Turkey following an out-of-court settlement between a Turkish national residing in Scotland and the Government of Turkey. The crown, reported to have been valued at £250,000, was in the possession of Edinburgh café owner Murat Aksakalli, who claimed to have inherited it from […]
Posted on: October 23, 2017 by Julia Rodrigues Casella Hommes
Following the series of controversial decisions for which the Trump administration has come to be known, this month the US Department of State has notified the UNESCO Director-General of its decision to withdraw from the organisation. Amongst the reasons presented are ‘concerns with mounting arrears at UNESCO’, ‘the need for fundamental reform in the organisation’ […]
Posted on: September 11, 2017 by Emily Gould
“Scientists shoot rocks!” This was the opening line of a fascinating discussion exploring innovative methods of evidencing the destruction of cultural heritage in conflict zones held at the V&A last Friday evening (8 September). The event was part of the V&A’s ‘Culture in Crisis’ programme which seeks to raise awareness of the need to protect […]
Posted on: August 22, 2017 by Alexander Herman
Last week, the International Criminal Court in the Hague pronounced on the amount in reparations to be paid in last year’s Al Mahdi case. And it was a hefty sum: €2.7 million has been levied against the defendant, Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi, for his role in overseeing the destruction of ten cultural monuments in […]
Posted on: December 9, 2016 by Fionnuala Rogers
“A country is not recognised by its size on the map, but by its culture” Director General of UNESCO Irina Bokova quoted His Highness the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, former President of the UAE at the International Conference for the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage in Conflict Areas on 2nd and 3rd December […]
Posted on: November 2, 2016 by Emily Gould
As promised in our blog post in early July, we wanted to keep you updated on the progress through Parliament of the Cultural Property (Armed Conflicts) Bill, which will enable the UK, finally, to ratify the 1954 Hague Convention. The Bill received its second reading in the House of Commons this week (31st October). It […]
Posted on: June 7, 2016 by Emily Gould
It was interesting to see that the judgment in the important ‘Old Flo’ case on which we reported in July 2015 has now been upheld by the Court of Appeal. You might recall the story. Old Flo – or Draped Seated Woman, to give Henry Moore’s 1,500 kg bronze figure her proper title – was […]
Posted on: May 25, 2016 by Alexander Herman
An interesting talk was held last night by the Chancery Bar Association in London on the topic of art law. And it was an esteemed panel that considered the topic from a variety of angles. Lord Justice Geoffrey Vos, judge at the Court of Appeal, introduced the proceedings by querying the term ‘art law’ itself, noting that […]
Posted on: May 11, 2016 by Alexander Herman
An important piece of legislation, brought into force around the time of the UK’s accession to the UNESCO 1970 Convention in 2002, has at last been used as the basis for a conviction. The statute, the Dealing in Cultural Objects (Offences) Act 2003, sets out an offence for dishonestly dealing in tainted cultural objects. The term ‘tainted’ for […]