The most recent issue of Art Antiquity and Law is now available and, since we all have a little extra time on our hands lately, you can find articles, case notes and book reviews in our journal to help fill those spare hours with fascinating reading.

Evelien Campfens gives a detailed exposition of the methods for the restitution of Nazi-looted art in the Netherlands. After setting out the country’s post-war legal framework, she examines the legal and ethical routes for claiming ownership of artworks lost during the Nazi era. Some concluding thoughts about the advantages and disadvantages of the ethical approach to resolving these issues are explored.

The topic of digitisation is one which we have heard much about in recent weeks, with museums in lockdown finding innovative ways of bringing their collections to the public through ‘virtual’ channels. In the first of two articles considering digitisation in the museum world, Charlotte Dunn discusses the use of 3D scanning and how this affects the application of copyright law. After assessing the suitability of copyright to this context, alternative approaches to intellectual property which might better address the needs of the museum and the public are considered.

Amelia Bell addresses the impact of 3D technology on museums in the United Kingdom in achieving their tripartite public mandate of access, preservation and education. Specifically, she examines the challenges copyright law poses to museums in accomplishing this when 3D technology is used to digitise collections.

Stephanie Drawdy continues her analysis of Zuckerman v. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in her case note in this issue of Art Antiquity and Law – see her previous case note and two blog posts (here and here) on the topic. She discusses the US Supreme Court’s decision not to review the case and the implications this has for the interpretation of the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2016 in the US.

Ruth Redmond-Cooper provides an update on R (on the application of Simonis) v. Arts Council England. She explains the Court of Appeal’s interpretation of EU law related to export licences for cultural goods and the impact of this decision, taking account of the UK’s departure from the EU at the end of 2020.

To complete this issue, Alexander Herman reviews Arthur Tompkins’ Plundering Beauty: A History of Art Crime During War. He notes how the author provides a history of the wartime looting of cultural objects beginning with the Romans and ending with the recent conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.

A subscription to Art Antiquity and Law is available in hard copy directly via our website. Alternatively, digital only and digital + hardcopy subscriptions are available in partnership with Hein. You can also purchase individual issues and articles via our website.