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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...
How will the EU’s new import licensing for art and antiques affect you? Here’s a brief guide
When the new import licensing regulation for cultural goods (2019/880) comes into force in the EU on June 28, 2025, what goods will be affected from the world of art and antiques? According to the law, relevant items – all of which must have originated from outside...
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Infighting as the Oba of Benin tries to seize all rights to the bronzes
Dispute shows that the ‘moral’ case is not always clear cut Passed as part of the Charities Act 2022, measures that have been suspended relating to deaccessioning in museums and the return of objects to source countries will now come into force. The idea is to make it...
Why A.I. is a useful servant but a dangerous master when it comes to cultural heritage
Artificial Intelligence is undoubtedly useful, especially when carrying out research, but it is also a minefield of fake news if you don’t do your homework properly. As an example, take a report inspired by the recent dramatic theft of Royal jewels from The Louvre and...
Why is the United States’ cultural repatriation policy rewarding oppression?
The United States is returning an important Jewish archive to Iraq despite almost all Jews having left the country decades ago under the force of oppression. Why?