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Past Symposia

Restitution & Repatriation: The Return of Cultural Objects

In recent years, countries of origin have successfully recovered illegally removed archaeological and ethnographic objects. Indigenous and Native American communities also have successfully recovered cultural artifacts excavated from ancient burial sites but have had less success in cases of international repatriation. Claims for recovery are based on a patchwork of legal rules, treaties and extra-legal pressure placed on the current possessor. U.S. indigenous communities have recovered cultural artifacts within the legal structure of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), but museums have acted outside of NAGPRA as well.

The museum community and some market participants now accept that archaeological objects unprovenanced before 1970 should not be acquired without proof of legal export. However, countires of origin have recently sought to move beyond the "1970 rule" and they, as well as indigenous communities, are seeking the repatriation of objects appropriated during earlier times through imperialism, colonialism, or armed conflict. The underlying bases supporting repatriation in such cases are often unclear, and the validity of these repatriation claims is hotly debated. Tensions can also arise when a fiduciary duty arguably conflicts with a perceived legal or moral obligation to return cultural objects.

Well-known examples of historical claims include Nigeria's request for repatriation of the Benin bronzes that British troops removed during the 1897 "Punitive Expedition"; China's efforts to seek the return of the bronze animal heads, once part of the zodiac fountain clock in the Yuanming Yuan garden of the Old Summer Palace that French and English troops looted and burned in 1860, and the recent move by Turkey to recover antiquities taken before 1970.

Program

8:00-8:30	Breakfast and Registration
8:30-8:40	Welcome
8:40-9:00	Introduction and Background
9:00-10:15	Provenance Research As it has become increasingly important for participants in the art market to avoid acquiring stolen or looted cultural materials, provenance research has taken on a greater role in the decision to acquire cultural artifacts and in helping to prevent the market from contributing to illegal conduct. This panel will look at provenance research from market and legal perspectives. Moderator: Morag Kersel, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, DePaul University Speakers: Victoria Reed, Curator for Provenance, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Title: "Due Diligence, Provenance Research, and the Acquisition Process at an Encyclopedic Museum" Christopher Rollston, National Endowment for the Humanities research scholar, Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, Jerusalem Title: "Protocols and Procedures for a Responsible Approach to Inscriptions from the Antiques Market" Stephen Nash, Department Chair and Curator of Archaeology, Denver Museum of Nature and Science Title: Diligence, Ethics, and the Preservation Process at a Natural History Museum. Peter Neiman, Partner, WilmerHale Title: "The Role of Provenance Research in Developing Legal Cases"
10:15-10:30	Break
10:30-11:45	Museum Acquisitions The two major museum organizations in the United States, the Association of Art Museum Directors and the American Alliance of Museums, have adopted guidelines for their member museums concerning acquisitions of antiquities that do not have a pre-1970 provenance. This panel will explore the AAMD Object Registry and the relationship between the looting of archaeological sites and the acquisition of unprovenanced or inadequately provenanced archaeological objects. This panel will also explore the question of what will happen with those objects that U.S. museums are no longer expected to acquire. Moderator: Julie Getzels, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Art Institute of Chicago Speakers: Susan Taylor, Montine McDaniel Freeman Director, New Orleans Museum of Art Title: "AAMD & The Object Registry: A Summary Perspective" Richard Leventhal, Director, Penn Cultural Heritage Center; Professor, University of Pennsylvania Department of Anthropology; and Curator, American Section of the Penn Museum Title: "There are No Orphaned Objects" Frank Lord, Associate, Herrick Feinstein LLP Title: “The AAMD, Archaeological Materials and Ancient Art: New Guidelines, Old Problems”
11:45-1:15	Break
1:15-2:30	Featured Lecture and Luncheon Jack Trope, Executive Director, Association on American Indian Affairs Title: "The Long Journey: Establishing Repatriation of Indigenous Human Remains and Cultural Items as an International Norm"
1:15-2:30	Historical Appropriations: When 1970 is Not Enough Even as museums and market participants accept that they should not acquire antiquities that are not provenanced before 1970, countries of origin have increasingly sought to recover antiquities and other cultural artifacts that were taken in the nineteenth and earlier parts of the twentieth century. Case studies will be presented to explore the legal and moral aspects of these calls for repatriations. Moderator: Patty Gerstenblith, Distinguished Research Professor of Law, DePaul University, and Director, Center for Art, Museum & Cultural Heritage Law Speakers: Charles Brian Rose, James B. Pritchard Professor of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Pennsylvania Title: "Beyond the UNESCO Convention: the Case of the Troy Gold in the Penn Museum" Rebecca Tsosie, Regent’s Professor of Law, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University Title: "Reparative Justice and the Repatriation of Indigenous Cultural Heritage: The Conundrum of 'Moral Rights' versus 'Legal Rights'" Hugh Eakin, Senior Editor, The New York Review of Books Title: "Doing the Right Thing?" Repatriation and the Museum Mission" Marc-André Renold, Director, Art-Law Centre, University of Geneva Title: "Dispute Resolution Processes in Cultural Heritage Law: the Interplay Between Law and Ethics"
2:30-4:00	Ethics Panel: Conflicting Duties: When to Repatriate (and When Not To) This panel, which will qualify for CLE Ethics credit, will explore the issues that attorneys need to consider before their clients (particularly museums, auction houses and private collectors) agree to repatriate a cultural object in light of fiduciary obligations to conserve a museum’s or consignor’s resources and assets, in the international antiquities context and in the NAGPRA context. Moderator: Thomas R. Kline, Of Counsel, Andrews Kurth LLP; Assistant Professorial Lecturer, George Washington University, Museum Studies Speakers: Thomas R. Kline, Of Counsel, Andrews Kurth LLP; Assistant Professorial Lecturer, George Washington University, Museum Studies Title: "Approaching Conflicting Duties-The Role and Responsibilities of Institutional Lawyers in Dealing with Objects Having Title Issues" Simon Frankel, Partner, Covington & Burling LLP; Lecturer in Law, Stanford University Title: "The Duties and Obligations of Museums in Responding to Restitution Demands" Lori Breslauer, Acting General Counsel, Field Museum of Natural History Title: "Bridging the Gap: The Interplay Between NAGPRA’s Requirement to Repatriate and Trustees’ Fiduciary Obligation to Preserve Museum Collections" Jane Levine, Worldwide Director of Compliance, Sotheby’s Title: "The Auction House Perspective on Claims and Requests for Repatriation"
4:00	Reception

Panelists & Moderators

Featured Lecturer
Jack Trope, Executive Director, Association on American Indian Affairs

Panelists
Lori Breslauer, Acting General Counsel, Field Museum of Natural History
Thomas R. Kline, Of Counsel, Andrews Kurth LLP and Assistant Professorial Lecturer, George Washington University, Museum Studies
Frank Lord, Associate, Herrick Feinstein LLP
Victoria Reed, Curator for Provenance, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Charles Brian Rose, James B. Pritchard Professor of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Pennsylvania
Simon Frankel, Partner, Covington & Burling LLP and Lecturer in Law, Stanford University
Richard M. Leventhal, Director, Penn Cultural Heritage Center and Professor, University of Pennsylvania Department of Anthropology
Stephen Nash, Department Chair and Curator of Archaeology, Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Marc-André Renold, Director, Art-Law Centre, University of Geneva
Susan Taylor, Montine McDaniel Freeman Director, New Orleans Museum of Art
Hugh Eakin, Senior Editor, The New York Review of Books
Jane Levine, Worldwide Director of Compliance, Sotheby's
Peter Neiman, Partner, Wilmer Hale
Christopher Rollston, National Endowment for the Humanities Research Scholar, Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, Jerusalem
Rebecca Tsosie, Regent's Professor of Law, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, Arizona State University

Moderators
Patty Gerstenblith, Distinguished Research Professor of Law, DePaul University College of Law and Director, Center for Art, Museum & Cultural Heritage Law
Julie Getzels, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Art Institute of Chicago
Morag Kersel, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, DePaul University
Thomas R. Kline, Of Counsel, Andrews Kurth LLP and Assistant Professorial Lecturer, George Washington University, Museum Studies

Additional Information

Sponsors
Covington & Burling LLP
Herrick Feinstein LLP
Andrews Kurth LLP

CLE Information
DePaul University Research Council

DePaul University College of Law is an accredited CLE provider.
This event was approved for 7.75 CLE credits, including 1.5 Ethics credits.

Acquiring and Maintaining Collections of Cultural Objects: Challenges Confronting American Museums in the 21st Century

On October 16, 2008, CAMCHL, together with DePaul's Center for Intellectual Property Law and Information Technology (CIPLIT), held a major conference where leading experts examined the basic rules of nonprofit museum governance and how those rules apply to the growing challenge of collecting cultural property in light of new laws, court decisions and professional ethical guidelines; evolving museum practices and standards in collecting antiquities; sovereign immunity and immunity of art works; and the need for further standards for donor/collector museum relationships.

Watch the podcasts.

Program

Bar Passage Required	142	4	5	2	153	59.5
8:00-8:30	Governance: The Increasing Challenges of Collecting, Displaying and Maintaining Museum Collections Moderator: Thomas R. Kline, Partner, Andrews Kurth LLP Speakers: Stephen Urice, Professor, University of Miami School of Law Rhoda Rosen, Director, Spertus Museum Gary T. Johnson, President, Chicago History Museum Julie Getzels, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Art Institute of Chicago
10:15-10:30	Break
10:30-12:15	Risks Associated with Collecting Antiquities: Evolving Museum Practices and Standards Moderator: Louise Lincoln, DePaul University Art Museum Speakers: John Russell, Professor, Massachusetts College of Art and Design Richard M. Leventhal, Professor, University of Pennsylvania Department of Anthropology Patty Gerstenblith, Professor, DePaul University College of Law Susan M. Taylor, Former Director, Princeton University Art Museum Dan Monroe, Director, Peabody Essex Museum Martin Sullivan, Director, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
12:15-1:30	Lunch
1:30-2:45	Risks Associated with International Loans: Foreign Sovereign Immunity and Immunity of Art Works from Seizure Moderator: Jennifer Kreder, Professor, Northern Kentucky University Chase College of Law Speakers: Howard Spiegler, Partner, Herrick Feinstein, New York Stephen J. Knerly, Esq., Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP Laina Lopez, Attorney, Berliner, Corcoran and Rowe
2:45-3:00	Break
3:00-4:30	Future Directors: What's a Poor Museum (and Board) To Do? Moderator: Patty Gerstenblith, Professor, DePaul University College of Law Speakers: Joseph Brennan, Vice President and General Counsel, Field Museum of Natural History Jane Levine, Esq., Chief Compliance Officer, Sotheby's Thomas R. Kline, Partner, Andrews Kurth LLP Dan Monroe, Director, Peabody Essex Museum Jennifer Kreder, Professor, Northern Kentucky University Chase College of Law
4:30-5:30	Reception

Featured Speakers

Joseph Brennan, Vice President and General Counsel, Field Museum of Natural History
Patty Gerstenblith, Professor, DePaul University College of Law
Julie Getzels, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Art Institute of Chicago
Gary T. Johnson, President, Chicago History Museum
Thomas Kline, Partner, Andrews Kurth LLP
Stephen J. Knerly, Jr. Esq., Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP
Jennifer Kreder, Professor, Northern Kentucky University Chase College of Law
Richard Leventhal, Professor, University of Pennsylvania
Jane Levine, Senior Vice President and Worldwide Director of Compliance, Sotheby’s
Louise Lincoln, Director, DePaul University Art Museum
Laina Lopez, Attorney, Berliner Corcoran & Rowe
Dan Monroe, Director, Peabody Essex Museum
Rhoda Rosen, Director, Spertus Museum
John Russell, Professor, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Howard Spiegler, Partner, Herrick Feinstein, New York
Martin Sullivan, Director, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
Susan M. Taylor, Former Director, Princeton University Art Museum
Stephen Urice, Professor, University of Miami School of Law