Posted on: October 21, 2014 by Alexander Herman
A recent dispute has arisen over the sale of artworks, pitting the relatives of two Jewish victims of the Nazis against a Swiss foundation that has been laying claim to assets once owned by the couple. The convoluted saga has been recounted by the New York Times. It involves the extensive art collection of Berlin metals broker Norbert Levy, a collection which […]
Posted on: September 14, 2014 by Nina M. Neuhaus
The dispute over the Swiss charitable foundation for art, culture and history (Stiftung für Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte, ‘SKKG’) has taken a new turn. Bettina Stefanini, daughter of SKKG founder Bruno Stefanini has filed a criminal complaint with the public prosecutor against the Chairman and three other members of the board of trustees, but excluding […]
Posted on: September 12, 2014 by Nina M. Neuhaus
The Swiss charitable foundation for art, culture and history (Stiftung für Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte, ‘SKKG’) has become the subject of a major dispute. SKKG was established in 1980 by Bruno Stefanini, one of Switzerland’s biggest real estate magnates, with the aim of supporting and maintaining Western art in general and Swiss objects of artistic, […]
Posted on: September 11, 2014 by Nina M. Neuhaus
In its September session, the legislative body of the Canton of Bern (Grosser Rat) debated the motion ‘No taxpayers’ money for the Gurlitt Collection’ submitted by the politician Samuel Leuenberger. The motion demands that the executive body of the Canton of Bern (Regierungsrat) must ensure that the Canton of Bern will not provide the Museum […]
Posted on: August 19, 2014 by Nina M. Neuhaus
Switzerland aims to contribute to the preservation of the cultural heritage of mankind by means of the Cultural Property Transfer Act (‘CPTA‘), which implements the 1970 UNESCO Convention into national law. According to art. 14 CPTA, the Specialized Body for the International Transfer of Cultural Property at the Swiss Federal Office of Culture (‘Specialized Body‘) […]
Posted on: August 4, 2014 by Nina M. Neuhaus
The Facts In May 2014, the Specialized Body for the International Transfer of Cultural Property at the Swiss Federal Office of Culture (‘Specialized Body‘) handed over 150 Roman coins to Serbia. The majority of these coins date from the 4th century A.D. and are made of bronze. Following their illegal excavation in Serbia, the coins were […]
Posted on: July 17, 2014 by Nina M. Neuhaus
The Federal Act on the International Transfer of Cultural Property (Cultural Property Transfer Act, ‘CPTA’), which came into force on June 1st, 2005 and implemented the 1970 UNESCO Convention into Swiss law, aims at enhancing the protection of Swiss cultural heritage. Art. 3(1) CPTA calls for the establishment of a Federal Registry listing “cultural property […]
Posted on: July 8, 2014 by Alexander Herman
It has recently been announced that five panels carved by the Te Atiawa iwi in the late eighteenth-century have been returned from Switzerland to New Zealand by the wife and son of the late antiquities collector George Ortiz. The panels had been discovered buried in a swamp near Motunui in 1972 and were subsequently exported […]
Posted on: June 23, 2014 by Nina M. Neuhaus
For the past week, Basel was clearly the place to be for the art world. For the 45th time, Art Basel, the world’s leading fair for modern and contemporary art took place in Basel, Switzerland. From 19th to 22nd of June, 285 leading galleries from 34 countries across the globe displayed artworks from over 4,000 […]
Posted on: June 12, 2014 by Nina M. Neuhaus
After more than 30 years, the museum Hallen für Neue Kunst in Schaffhausen closed its doors. The decision to close was triggered by the judgment of the High Court of the Canton of Schaffhausen concerning the installation “Das Kapital Raum 1970-1990” by Joseph Beuys, the central piece of the collection. In January 2014, the court […]