Art, Cultural Heritage, and the Law

"Our Interest Group brings together practitioners, government officials, museum officials, scholars, and students with an interest in the international law of cultural heritage and the arts. The group’s activities include publishing a newsletter, sponsoring panels and lectures on related topics, and promoting an exchange of ideas on this page."

"Brooklyn-based nonprofit dedicated to all things art law. Our mission is to provide resources, programs, and training in visual arts and cultural heritage law."

"The Committee for Cultural Policy supports public appreciation and the safeguarding of art of ancient and indigenous cultures through education. We provide resources and information to the press and educational institutions."

IFAR "is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational and research organization dedicated to integrity in the visual arts. IFAR offers impartial and authoritative information on authenticity, ownership, theft, and other artistic, legal, and ethical issues concerning art objects."

"SAFE raises public awareness about the damaging effects of looting and the illicit antiquities trade to encourage public engagement as the long-term, sustainable solution to stop our heritage from being destroyed."

The State Department's Cultural Heritage Center "leads U.S. cultural heritage foreign policy. It oversees programs and efforts to support the protection and preservation of cultural heritage worldwide."

"Art and cultural property crime—which includes theft, fraud, looting, and trafficking across state and international lines—is a looming criminal enterprise with estimated losses in the billions of dollars annually. To recover these precious pieces—and to bring these criminals to justice—the FBI has a dedicated Art Crime Team of 20 special agents, supported by DOJ trial attorneys for prosecutions. The Bureau also runs the National Stolen Art File, a computerized index of reported stolen art and cultural properties for the use of law enforcement agencies across the world."

"Maritime heritage includes not only physical resources such as historic shipwrecks and prehistoric archaeological sites, but also archival documents, oral histories, and the stories of indigenous cultures that have lived and used the ocean for centuries. Stewardship of our maritime heritage means preserving and protecting these important historical, cultural, and archaeological resources within our coastal, marine, and Great Lakes waters."

"To ensure that culture takes it rightful place in development strategies and processes, UNESCO has adopted a three-pronged approach: it spearheads worldwide advocacy for culture and development, while engaging with the international community to set clear policies and legal frameworks and working on the ground to support governments and local stakeholders to safeguard heritage, strengthen creative industries and encourage cultural pluralism."

"Cultural property is part of our heritage, history and identity. It needs protecting from criminals. Trafficking in cultural property is a low-risk, high-profit business for criminals with links to organized crime. From stolen artwork to historical artefacts, this crime can affect all countries, either as origin, transit or destinations."

"Art and cultural heritage disputes can involve a variety of highly specific subject matter such as copyright, traditional cultural expressions, or cultural property. They can also involve sensitive non-legal issues of a commercial, cultural, ethical, historical, moral, religious, or spiritual nature. Parties in such disputes are often from different jurisdictions and cultural backgrounds. As a flexible and confidential mechanism, ADR allows consideration of such issues and helps parties to adopt sustainable, interest-based solutions that may go beyond monetary relief (e.g., compensatory provision of art works, long-term loans, co-ownership)."

The Art & Cultural Heritage Law Committee is part of the ABA's Section of International Law.

"The Committee on Art, Cultural Institutions and Heritage Law is concerned with all aspects of law as it relates to art, artists, and cultural heritage in the broadest context. This extends from archaeology and the protection of ancient monuments to national heritage and public and private collections to the art trade and contemporary art. 'Art law' is an interdisciplinary field involving tax (individual estates and charities), commercial transactions, intellectual property in all aspects and private and public international law."

LCCHP "is a not-for-profit organization that fosters the stewardship of the objects, places, and traditions that define us as societies, nations, civilizations, and even human beings. We are lawyers, legal scholars, and law enforcement agents --- but also anthropologists, archaeologists, architects, art historians, students, and others --- who champion preservation through the justice system."