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Sir John Boardman (1927-2024)
Sir John Boardman OBE FBA Hon RA, Emeritus Lincoln Professor of Classical Art and Archaeology at the University of Oxford and an Honorary Fellow of the Magdalene College Cambridge for 40 years, ha died.
Why Western Australia’s policy disaster is a lesson to Brussels
The EU risks the same disaster with its import licensing regulation for cultural property as Western Australia’s Aboriginal CulturalHeritage Act has just suffered – and for the same reasons.
Italy rules in favour of private property rights for cultural heritage
Ministry's legal head reinforces 'innocent until proven guilty' principle in interpreting law The Italian Ministry of Culture has issued a potentially ground-breaking statement, following a court ruling. It challenges current thinking on cultural heritage and...
Latest Views
Whose culture is it anyway?
How aware are U.S. citizens of what cultural heritage bilateral agreements enforced in their name mean? Would they approve of how these Memoranda of Understanding are harnessed by the State department and Customs service for diplomatic and political gain?
The EU’s new art market clampdown is neither just nor proportionate – if only we could sue
Supranational authority’s failure to join the European Convention of Human Rights – despite promising to 15 years ago – protects it from legal action by citizens unfairly suffering under import licensing law Although every member state is a signatory to the European...
Where do ethics, morals and the law really lie in India’s claim to the Piprahwa gem relics?
Sotheby’s proposed sale acts as a useful study in the dispute over rights between nations and individuals when it comes to cultural property Much in the news has been Sotheby’s proposed (and then suspended) sale of the Piprahwa Gems, a collection of gem relic...





