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A legal resource for cultural property, archaeology, and art law enthusiasts.
Browsing All Posts filed under »Illegal Trade«
Costa Rican Archaeologist with Dodgy History Acquitted of Smuggling
Costa Rican citizen and Munich resident Leonard Patterson has been acquitted of charges of attempting to smuggle 1,400 pieces of pre-Columbian art from Spain to Germany. The Latin-American Herald Tribune report is reproduced below, although the Spanish website El Universal has a much more detailed (and interesting) version of the story. Of particular interest are […]
Emergency “Red List” of Endangered Syrian Artifacts Released, Includes Sculptures, Coins
September 26, 2013
ICOM (International Council of Museums) officials worked remotely to create a “Red List” of artifacts endangered by the current conflict in Syria. This Red List will be disseminated to law enforcement agencies, museums, and artifact dealers worldwide, in an attempt to prevent their illicit trade and/or destruction. The Emergency Red List of Syrian Cultural Objects at […]
ICE Busts Egyptian Antiquity Smuggling Ring
July 26, 2011
On July 13, 2011, US federal prosecutors announced they were charging antiquities dealers in New York, Michigan, and Dubai in connection with operating an international antiquities smuggling ring. The ring smuggled Egyptian artifacts into the US, including several sarcophagi. In a news release, ICE explained: As alleged in the indictment, from approximately October 2008 until […]
An Evolving Cultural Property Protection Model and the Cultural Heritage Law Moot Court Competition
February 28, 2011
Posting has been less frequent lately but I’ve been busy doing some things that CPAL readers might find of interest. First, on Feb. 18, I gave a presentation, “The Evolution of the Cultural Property Protection Model Toward a Human Rights Framework and the Implications for Sovereignty,” at the Michigan State University College of Law Journal […]
Do Tourists Receive a “Get Out of Jail Free” Card to Smuggle Illicit Antiquities?
November 24, 2010
I was just in San Fran for an ARCA panel presentation, so I thought this post timely. The Bay City News reports: A gathering is planned in San Francisco today to celebrate the repatriation of a pre-Columbian figurine seized from a passenger at Oakland International Airport earlier this year. The 2.5-inch figurine was confiscated on […]
Documentary “Blood Antiques” Argues Illicit Antiquities Trade Sends Billions of Euros to Terrorism
November 15, 2010
This weekend, I watched the documentary “Blood Antiques,” released last year by Journeyman Pictures. If you are at all interested in the illicit antiquities trade (and especially if you are interested in the organization of that trade), you should watch this 45 minute movie. It argues that because antiquities tend to come from “unstable countries,” […]
The San Francisco Treat (Me!)
November 12, 2010
Next Thursday, I’ll be presenting on the Antiquities Trafficking panel at the American Society of Criminologists Conference in San Francisco, CA. The panel is sponsored by the Association of Research into Crimes against Art (ARCA), and I’ll present alongside Derek Fincham, Erik Nemeth, and Yasmeen del Rosario Hussain. Here’s the abstract from my presentation: Honor […]
Does the Illicit Antiquities Trade Fund Terrorism?
October 26, 2010
For years now, we’ve been hearing that the illicit antiquities trade supports terrorism, but the evidence of that is scant. It’s just not the sort of thing that’s easy to pin down with documentation like well-kept ledgers. However, Wikileaks has posted the following, which tends to show a connection between the illicit antiquities trade and […]
Is Italy “Asking For It” By Refusing to Release the Medici Photographs? Three items at Christie’s raise questions
June 6, 2010
Christie’s is being criticized for leaving on the auction block three items which have been alleged by archaeologists and an Italian prosecutor to have originated from the famous and illicit antiquities trader, Giacomo Medici. Italy, however, has not submitted a formal request for repatriation of the objects to the U.S. government or even a title […]
The Paris Art Theft: Acrobatics, Decomposition, and Imaginary Numbers
June 1, 2010
I’m sure you’ve heard of the recent theft of 5 paintings from the Musee d’Art Moderne in Paris. And I’m sorry I’ve not been around to mull over the crime with you, but I’ve been quite swamped tying up loose ends on my jobby job as I prepared to leave it for good, getting ready […]
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Cultural Property & Archaeology Law 
October 24, 2013
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