February 16, 2002

CONTENTS:




- Re: Special: tracing high value works of art in transit (Scott Malcolm)
- Re: Special: tracing high value works of art in transit (Steve Keller)
- Nok objects and the Quai Branly
- Stolen art from DR Congo via Uganda to Western markets; Diplomats involved
- Six women released after £2m art theft arrest
- CALL FOR PAPERS (due March 15, 2002). ETHICS AND THE PRACTICE OF ARCHAEOLOGY SEPTEMBER 28, 2002
- ART LOSS REGISTER ANOUNCES NEW WEBSITE TO FIGHT ART THEFT
- Theft at 'badly managed' Louvre
- Law eyed to target trade in stolen antiques on Net
- Plea for Return of Stolen Artefacts
- British Museum won't return religious artifacts to Ethiopia
- Damage leads to discovery (Vandalism repair helps experts date Indian shell mound )
- Head of new Acropolis museum denies delays
- California Quake? (Jonathan Sazonoff)
- Retrieval of colonial paintings in Cuzco, Perú (Blanca Alva)
- Gold-diggers plague archaeological dig
- Greek Police Seize Rare Gold Wreath
- Kulturhistorisch wertvolle Bibel in Ungarn gestohlen
- IFAR program concerning the September 11th attacks
- A £1 million ransom demand has reportedly been made for a painting, 12 years after it was stolen.
- Art dealer convicted of selling stolen Egyptian artefacts
- Antiques from Afghanistan for sale on the internet
- Residents told to vandalise paving stones to stop thefts
- Cypriot authorities have granted bail to Frieda Tchacos as being on an island you can't swim
ashore. An extradition proceeding to Italy stands! from: http://www.michelvanrijn.com/)
- about the denationalization of italian museums
- Query: International Standards of Security Measures - Museums of Art
- Greek authorities uncover massive ancient artefact haul in house
- Stolen historical documents turn up on eBay
- The Art Newspaper; this week's top stories



From: Scott Malcolm conf-pi@execpc.com
Organization: Malcolm & Associates, Inc.
To: Museum Security Network securma@xs4all.nl
Subject:

Re: Special: tracing high value works of art in transit

I am in total agreement with Mr.Knapen assessment of the value of having a tracking device for high value artifacts. An executive that is protected gets better treatment. An advance team to evaluate the destination and be present upon the tarmac, private transportation air and ground. Escorts with the proper authorities etc. etc..
Preparation is still 99% of any well executed operation.

Regards,
Scott Malcolm
Malcolm & Associates, Inc.
Serving the State of Wisconsin
http://www.execpc.com/~conf-pi
Office 262 965 4426 / Fax 262 965 4629


From: IntlArtCop@aol.com
Date sent: Mon, 4 Feb 2002 11:59:06 EST
Subject:

Re: Special: tracing high value works of art in transit

To: securma@xs4all.nl

With regards to the tracking device, some few major museums will buy several at that price but most will not. A lease or rental would be more attractive.
Be certain to check with the airlines first! You may not get it on a U.S. aircraft if it transmits. A passive system is OK. I sometimes use my GPS tracking system on planes to see where I am just for a way of passing time. It is legal because it is fully passive but still can only be used above 10,000 feet. It works only when held to the window, not away from the window. Any system put in with the work of art in the crate stored in cargo would have to be powerful and that may cause a problem with the airline or Federal Aviation Administration in the U.S. or their counterparts elsewhere, I assume, since airplanes are all made by a very few manufacturers worldwide.
Steve Keller

From: "Jullien, V." Jullien.icom@unesco.org
To: "'securma@xs4all.nl'" securma@xs4all.nl
Subject:

Nok objects and the Quai Branly

Date sent: Fri, 1 Feb 2002 09:28:03 +0100

The NOK Objects

During the UNIDROIT Session held at the French Assemblée nationale (29 JANVIER 2002 ), M. Pierre Moscovici, ministre délégué chargé des affaires européennes said " M. Plagnol s'est interrogé sur les conditions de l'acquisition par le musée Branly, en 1999, de trois statuettes Nok du Nigeria. La convention ne pourra s'appliquer, n'étant pas rétroactive. Mais un accord a été proposé aux autorités nigérianes, reconnaissant la propriété du Nigeria sur ces terres cuites, tandis que ce dernier accepte de les laisser en dépôt quai Branly pour une durée de vingt-cinq ans renouvelable. L'accord devrait être signé incessamment, et vous pouvez rassurer qui de droit !"
From the Minutes of the 29 January Session,
http://www.assemblee-nat.fr/cra/2001-2002/2002012915.asp#P177_57291

From: Jos van Beurden beurden@nwsbank.nl
Subject:

Stolen art from DR Congo via Uganda to Western markets Diplomats involved

Stolen art from DR Congo via Uganda to Western markets Diplomats involved

In the East African of January 21, 2002 reports from Kampala, that the war in eastern Congo, where Uganda has been involved since 1997, has opened up a channel through which cultural heritage is sold. Part of this comes from museums. Journalist David Kaiza writes that foreign diplomats in Kampala have been "implicated in a syndicate said to be trafficking in Congolese artifacts". A UNESCO source is quoted as saying that the scupltures, masks and jewellery find their way into Uganda through the West Nile, which borders northeatsren Democratic Republic of Congo. "The trade used to be secretive, but since Ugandan authorities have not attempted to stop it, the masks, sculptures, tribal thrones and other figurines are now on display in shops and road-side stalls... The more sophisticated dealers use teh Internet to market their wares." "Diplomats and embassies abet the trade by facilitating the illegal transfer of antiquities through the airport and other exit points."

Jos van Beurden / Africa Asia Desk
PO Box 13218, 3507 LE Utrecht, The Netherlands / Pays Bas
tel +31 30 271 5473 fax +31 30 272 3388

Six women released after £2m art theft arrest

Six women have been released without charge after being arrested over a two million pound art theft. The women, all in their 20s, were detained on Wednesday in connection with the theft of two paintings from Russborough House, Co Wicklow. The paintings, from the Beit collection, were stolen in a daylight heist in June last year - the third theft from Russborough since 1974. One of the two paintings, Madame Baccelli, by Thomas Gainsborough and valued at over 2.54 million euros (£1.7m), had been stolen before as part of a haul of 27 paintings taken from the house by Martin "The General" Cahill and his gang in 1986.
The second work of art taken in the June raid was View of Florence Looking Towards The Ponte Vecchio by Bernardo Bellotto and valued at 1.27 million euros (£762,000). A Dublin man has already been charged with the theft of the paintings. John Kearns, 25, of Corrib Road, Terenure, appeared before Clover Hill District Court in Ballyfermot, on January 28 accused of burglary. Police say the women are being released from custody, in Kildare and Wicklow, and no charges will be brought against them.
Story filed: 12:37 Friday 1st February 2002

CALL FOR PAPERS (due March 15, 2002)

ETHICS AND THE PRACTICE OF ARCHAEOLOGY SEPTEMBER 28, 2002

"Ethics and the Practice of Archaeology" is an interdisciplinary symposium to be held at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. It aims to advance dialogues about the wide range of ethical issues affecting contemporary archaeology. Submissions are particularly welcome on solutions or models of how ethics can be put into operation in contexts such as building relations with affected people, excavation and survey, development of tourism, historic preservation and conservation programs, writing and enacting legal instruments, and public outreach initiatives and education. Abstracts (limited to 250 words) must be received by MARCH 15, 2002, and should be sent to: Ethics Symposium, 325 University of Pennsylvania Museum, 33rd and Spruce Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19104, FAX: 215-898-7462. For more information, see http://www.museum.upenn.edu/Ethics , or contact Alexander Bauer at ethics@museum.upenn.edu.

Alexander A. Bauer
Department of Anthropology
University of Pennsylvania Museum
33rd and Spruce Sts.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
tel.: (215) 898-7461
fax: (215) 898-7462
email: bauer2@sas.upenn.edu

From: David Shillingford dshillingford@alrny.com
To: "'securma@xs4all.nl'" securma@xs4all.nl
Subject: Press release - new website for stolen art database
Date sent: Wed, 6 Feb 2002 11:10:31 -0500

ART LOSS REGISTER ANOUNCES NEW WEBSITE TO FIGHT ART THEFT

NEW YORK CITY - February 6 2002. The Art Loss Register (ALR) announces the launch of a new website (http://www.artloss.com) that utilizes the Internet to help recover stolen art and deter the theft and sale of stolen art.
The ALR is the leading commercial database of stolen art with over 110,000 detailed records of items ranging from Old Master paintings to watches, clocks and collectibles. The ALR acts as the information bridge between loss victims and insurers and those investigating art thefts or considering a purchase. Since 1991 the ALR has helped police recover over $100 million of art and antiques for insurers and owners.
The focus of the new website is a secure and accessible way for art thefts to be reported and searches to be submitted to the ALR online. The website also provides detailed information on the ALR and its services to insurers, collectors, museums, art dealers and law enforcement agencies. The home page provides fresh images and summaries of interesting thefts and recoveries which links to an archive of details of each item and the circumstances of the theft or recovery that can be sorted by key information such as value or location of theft. Visitors may also register to receive a newsletter or theft alerts specific to their area of interest.
David Shillingford, project director of the ALR's e-commerce initiative, noted that 'for a company in the information business with a proven business model the Internet is a huge opportunity. To be able to submit loss reports and searches from anywhere in the world 24 hours a day is a huge step in the fight against art crime'.

Contact:
David Shillingford
(212) 297-0941
Dshillingford@ALRny.com
www.artloss.com

Theft at 'badly managed' Louvre

The Louvre in Paris has admitted two 18th century silver candlesticks have been stolen - just days after a report slammed the museum for poor security and management. The Louvre announced the loss on Monday and said it had reported the theft to the police. The candlesticks, 24cm high and worth an estimated 30,000 euros (£18,400), were first reported missing in December and after a search failed to recover them a report was made to the police on 21 January.
Director Henri Loyrette has promised improvements The famous museum was roundly criticised last week in a study by the French national audit office, the Cour des Comptes. The report, released on Thursday, identified waste, bad management, waste and security failures. It said that some workers often took extra days off, or went on coffee breaks lasting for hours. And the auditors also said the Louvre did not know how many works of art it had - and was "reduced to making a rough estimation" of about 400,000 artifacts. The loss of the candlesticks is only the most recent of a series of security breaches. In May 1988 a painting - Camille Corot's Le Chemin De Sevres- was stolen from a gallery which had no CCTV surveillance.

The painting has never been recovered.

In January of the same year, a marble statue was also stolen from one of the museum's study galleries. Museum director Henri Loyrette, who was appointed in March 2001, has accepted many of the criticisms in the recent report, but promises that things will improve by 2003. For its part, the museum has complained that inadequate funding and a lack of sufficient security personnel has forced it to keep up to 20% of its collections closed to the public. Some six million people visited the Louvre last year.

_

Law eyed to target trade in stolen antiques on Net

The National Police Agency is hoping to revise the antiques business law to counter the increasing number of stolen antiques that are being traded on Internet auction sites, agency officials said Thursday. The proposed revision would require operators of auction sites to report to the authorities when opening a site and also when a stolen antique is found to be on sale, the officials said. The agency is planning to present a bill in the current Diet session, they said. If enacted, it would be the first ever government-imposed restriction on auction sites.
Given the large number of unlicensed antique dealers opening Web sites, the agency is also planning to require dealers to register their Web addresses with prefectural public safety commissions and to publish their name and license numbers, the officials said. Unregistered dealers would face a fine, and failure to report trade in stolen goods would incur business suspension. In the two years through December 2001, the agency came across 382 cases of stolen antiques being traded in deals worth a total of 16.4 billion yen, the agency said.
The agency also noted a rising number of cases in which promised goods were not delivered to buyers. The agency's revision also includes a plan to give special designations as "good" dealers to auction site operators that meet certain conditions. According to the agency, the National Public Safety Commission will draw up operation rules for Net auction sites, including one requiring operators to devise an effective mechanism to stem or discover trade in stolen goods. If an operator qualifies as a "good" dealer recognized by a prefectural public safety commission, it could display the designation on its auction site. When an operator discovers a stolen antique is being traded, it would have to report the fact, withdraw the item from the auction site, and keep records of the party that put the item up for sale.
The Japan Times: Feb. 8, 2002

Plea for Return of Stolen Artefacts

UN Integrated Regional Information Networks
February 7, 2002
Posted to the web February 7, 2002

A sacred artefact, which will be handed back to Ethiopia at the weekend, has sparked calls for the return of all treasure plundered from the country. The tabot, a representation of the Ark of the Covenant, will arrive in Addis Ababa 133 years after it was stolen by British troops after the battle of Maqdala. But an organisation at the forefront of its return has demanded that Britain hand back all the looted Maqdala treasure - now said to be worth over US $4.2 billion. The Association for the Return of Maqdala Ethiopian Treasures (AFROMET) welcomed the return of the 400-year-old artefact, but said the rest of the treasure should follow. AFROMET's vice- chairman, Professor Richard Pankhurst, told a news conference in Addis Ababa that Britain had no right to hang on to the treasures that are an integral part of Ethiopia's heritage. He also accused the Italian government of "barbarism" for refusing to hand over the Axum Obelisk that was removed by Mussolini in 1938. The tabot, which was found in a church in Scotland, is one of dozens of highly treasured pieces looted by the British after the famous battle of Maqdala. Prof Pankhurst, a Briton who lives in Ethiopia, said precious items are held in museums across Britain and that the 3,000 year-old Axum Obelisk is still in Rome. "We are dedicated to the return to Ethiopia of the loot from Maqdala," said Prof Pankhurst. "We rejoice that on Saturday the first fruit of our effort will be returned...But at the same time we recall that the British Museum has no less than 10 tabots and the same reasons for the return of this tabot justify the return of these 10 tabots." The British government has indicated that it will only respond to a formal request for the return of the treasures by the Ethiopian government, and not by an association. An Ethiopian parliamentary resolution urging the return is expected to be formalised later this year. Prof Pankhurst recognised that the British government, on a number of occasions, had returned some of the treasures, at one point handing over a crown to former Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie. "These things can be done, this is not sacrosanct. Laws are there to be changed," he said.

http://allafrica.com/

British Museum won't return religious artifacts to Ethiopia

LONDON (February 8, 2002 7:10 a.m. EST) - The British Museum has ruled out returning several religious artifacts to Ethiopia, despite pleas from the patriarch of the country's church. Abuna Paulos, patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, visited the museum to view the looted collection of tabots - sacred tablets that represent the Ark of the Covenant - and other religious treasures. Abuna is a title equivalent to bishop. Museum officials said Thursday that they allowed Paulos to view the tabots but said they could not be repatriated because a law of 1753 banned the museum from relinquishing any object in its collection unless it had a duplicate. The Ethiopian treasures were seized from the mountaintop capital of Maqdala in 1868 after British troops sacked the royal settlement following the suicide of Ethiopia's ruler, Emperor Tewodros. The loot included solid gold crowns, the tabots and a number of illuminated manuscripts. Paulos was on a two-day visit to Britain to press for the return of the treasures, the Ethiopian Embassy said. The British Museum said the visit was amicable. The carved tabots represent the Ark of the Covenant, in which the Israelites carried the 10 Commandments as they traveled to the Promised Land from Egypt. One was discovered St. John the Evangelist church in Edinburgh last year and was formally returned to an Ethiopian delegation there in January. Tabots are found in all Ethiopian churches. They are central to many religious rites there and are so sacred that only priests are allowed to look at them.
http://www.nandotimes.com/

Damage leads to discovery

Vandalism repair helps experts date Indian shell mound

By KEVIN LOLLAR, klollar@news-press.com

Sometimes in archaeology, a very bad thing can lead to important discoveries. In recent years, looters, probably looking for buried pirate treasure, ripped large holes in the Indian shell mound at Hooker Key in Pine Island Sound. So archaeologists set out in 2000 to repair the damage. No one had ever excavated the site — nor was anyone planning to. Archaeologists used to think the shell midden was a relatively young site, dating to the time of the Calusa, who dominated South Florida at the time of contact with Europeans in the early 16th century. But artifacts and radiocarbon dating of samples taken from the damaged areas, the largest of which was 9 feet deep and 19 feet wide at the base, prove that the midden was occupied from 500 B.C. to A.D. 100. “That’s our break-even with the looters,” said Chuck Blanchard, a cultural resource management specialist for the Charlotte Harbor State Buffer Preserve. “They break the site and we have to fix it. They dug a couple of holes big enough to give us samples. “We’d sat there and assumed it was from a later period, but it was never occupied (by the original inhabitants) after 100. Apparently, after that, this site was off limits. We don’t know why. Maybe it was out of superstition. Maybe it was out of respect.” Another possible reason Hooker Key was not occupied after A.D. 100 is that about that time religious and cultural influences were spreading north and south from the Poverty Point, La., region. “Maybe people just said, ‘That’s the old way. We no longer build that way,’ ” Blanchard said. After the demise of the Calusa in the 18th century, various groups of people occupied Hooker Key, including other Native Americans, Spanish fishermen and white settlers. Because of the discoveries, occupation at Hooker Key is now viewed as a transition period between the Archaic period, which ended in about 500 B.C., and the rise of the Calusa. “That transition period is not well understood,” Blanchard said. “We understand the Archaic period and the Calusa much better. We see this site as a tremendous teaching tool. It’s older than people thought and younger than real, real old.” Archaeologists don’t want to leave the pits gaping in the side of the mound, and on Tuesday, a dozen AmeriCorps members paddled canoes with Blanchard and buffer preserve biologists Keith Laakkonen and Chris Reed to Hooker Key to finish the two-year restoration project. The first step was to fill the pits almost to the top with shell the looters had removed from the mound; then the volunteers added a layer of empty wine bottles before topping it off with shell. Now that Hooker Key is known to be an older site, archaeologists will begin doing research on it, and the bottles will keep them from digging on the restored sections. “The quickest clue that you’re in the wrong place is digging down a couple of inches and finding glass,” Blanchard said. AmericaCorps team leader Amanda Colton, who has a degree in anthropology from the University of South Carolina, was intrigued by the restoration work. “We’re preserving part of history,” she said. “Even if you’re not from Florida, we all have a connection with the people who were first in the country. “It’s good for the team members to come out here because it gives them more respect for any archaeological site. Archaeology has started getting popular since the Indiana Jones movies, and this gives them a taste of what archaeology is like. It’s hard work.” Restoring Hooker Key is like restoring a monument to human presence in Charlotte Harbor, said Blanchard, who has helped restore other vandalized sites in the area. “They really are monuments,” Blanchard said. “If we had a 2,500-year-old building in Tallahassee, we would be reverential to say the least. And it’s not the European connection. It’s the human connection. Whacking at these things is as ignorant as destroying any other monument.”
http://www.news-press.com/

Head of new Acropolis museum denies delays

The official heading Greece’s efforts to build a new museum to house the Acropolis exhibits (including those now in the British Museum) in readiness for the Athens Olympics yesterday denied he had told a British newspaper that the building could not possibly be ready on time. “The view that the New Acropolis Museum will not be ready in 2004 does not represent me,” Dimitrios Pandermalis, a professor of archaeology at the University of Thessaloniki who is in charge of the 50-billion-drachma project, said in a statement. “On the contrary, work to that purpose is proceeding in a concerted fashion and at a rapid pace.” An article in yesterday’s Independent on Sunday quoted Pandermalis as saying that work on the museum had “simply started far too late.” After a 13-year delay, the new building’s foundation stone is scheduled to be laid in June.
http://www.ekathimerini.com/

From: Jonathan Sazonoff saz@kwom.com
To: securma@xs4all.nl
Subject:

California Quake?

Dear Subscribers,
I hate to sound like the children's character "chicken little" (claiming the sky is falling) but did come across a post of possible interest. Among those studying earthquake prognostication, a researcher named Jack Coles (studies radio waves) has had some accuracy in his past predictions. This researcher's recent prediction calls for "the big one" to hit California in the next few weeks. (Feb 11 - Mar 4) http://209.123.140.181/jackcoles/messages/1548.html
From the web-site http://www.syzygyjob.net/
Perhaps this is all too alarmist. But is often better to be safe than sorry. This is just to remind California readers to dust off their disaster plans. I hate to cause any unnecessary stir as earthquake prediction is not a proven science. However, a little caution might be in order. It never hurts to review disaster plans & procedures. I'm sure California's collection, facility, and security managers are well aware of earthquake procedures. Perhaps this note is just preaching to an ever-vigilant choir. But, as many museum managers have reviewed their institutions emergency plans since 9/11/01, it couldn't hurt to review earthquake procedures as well.

Cautiously yours,
Jonathan Sazonoff
Saz Productions, Inc.
http://www.saztv.com
Contributing US Ed.
Museum Security Network
http://www.museum-security.org/saz.html

From: "Blanca Alva" blancaal@terra.com.pe
To: securma@xs4all.nl
Subject:

Retrieval of colonial paintings in Cuzco, Perú

Date sent: Sun, 10 Feb 2002 11:27:54 -0500

Detienen a 4 sacrílegos que robaron obras de templo católico
Recuperan 2 pinturas de la escuela cusqueña

.....Dos pinturas de la escuela cusqueña inspiradas en temas religiosos, que fueron robadas de un templo católico e iban a ser sacadas clandestinamente del país, pudieron ser recuperadas ayer por efectivos policiales que atraparon a 4 ladrones sacrílegos. Se trata de obras con más de 400 años de antigüedad, pintadas por artistas anónimos y cuyo valor es incalculable, precisaron las autoridades. Uno de los lienzos contiene las imágenes de Jesús y los doce apóstoles, durante la última cena. El otro representa a Adán y Eva en el paraíso terrenal. Ambos eran exhibidos en la tricentenaria iglesia del distrito de Tinta, departamento del Cusco. En horas de la madrugada delincuentes profanaron el templo. Violentaron la cerradura de la puerta principal y sustrajeron los hermosos cuadros que adornaban parte del Altar Mayor. El párroco Raimundo Osullivan Cherivan fue quien descubrió el robo y alertó en el acto a la policía local. Para facilitar la búsqueda de los ladrones, efectivos de todas las guarniciones de la X Región PNP, con sede en el Cusco, entraron en acción, realizando bloqueos de caminos e intensas redadas en zonas urbanas y rurales. Los operativos permitieron detener en tiempo récord a los autores del acto criminal, cuando se desplazaban por tierra desde Tinta a la capital departamental. Se trata de los delincuentes Rodrigo Apaza Quispe (38), Renzo Vargas Aliaga (28), Ernesto Pajahuanca Choque (32) y Luis Condori Machaca, de 48 años de edad. Aparte de los valiosos lienzos se les decomisó un revólver con cañón corto, calibre 38, carente de número de serie y marca, así como varios puñales. Los sacrílegos confesaron que tenían previsto sacar del país las pinturas para revenderlas a inescrupulosos coleccionistas. Pobladores del distrito de Tinta, con su párroco, destacaron la efectiva capacidad de respuesta de las autoridades locales.
http://www.larepublica.com.pe/

Blanca Alva Guerrero
Av. Las Artes 885 - Lima 41
Telf. 4765903. Telefax 4766269
Correo electrónico: blancaal@terra.com.pe

Gold-diggers plague archaeological dig

Treasure hunters have arrived at the site of a new roadway in Ireland after reports that an ancient jewel hoard has been found there. Archaeological digs are under way in and around the Cullenmore Bends area of Ashford, Wicklow. But historians have been telling trespassers the reports are false and that nothing of value has been found. Archaeologists on the route of the N11 have blamed a newspaper article which they say falsely claimed a Bronze Age jewellery industry may have been sited there. Project manager Catherine McLoughlin told the Wicklow People that there has been trespassers on the site looking for gold jewellery.
http://www.ananova.com/

Greek Police Seize Rare Gold Wreath

ATHENS, Greece- Authorities arrested five men on suspicion of antiquities smuggling and netted more than a dozen antiquities, including a golden wreath described by archaeologists as being particularly rare, police said Friday. The elaborate gold oak-leaf wreath, with an 8-inch diameter and weighing 4 ounces, dates from the Hellenistic period, between the 3rd and 1st centuries B.C., police said. The wreath "is a very rare archaeological find, is of inestimable archaeological and historic importance and of great commercial value," the police said in a written statement. Another 18 ancient objects dating from the Classical era between the 5th and 4th centuries B.C. were also seized, including bronze rings, wine vessels, two alabaster statuettes of a winged panther and of the mythical winged horse Pegasus, and a marble ram's head. Police arrested the five men near Athens' main Syntagma Square on Thursday after they allegedly attempted to sell the objects for $4.1 million, authorities said. Police acted following a monthlong surveillance operation launched after receiving a tip-off according to which the five men were attempting to sell the gold wreath to a foreign buyer, authorities said. Antiquities are protected by law in Greece, where it is illegal to excavate, own, buy or sell ancient objects without a special permit.

From: Art Wonders artwonders_2000@yahoo.com
Subject: Kulturhistorisch wertvolle Bibel in Ungarn gestohlen
To: Ton Cremers securma@xs4all.nl
11. Februar 2002, 02:13

Kulturhistorisch wertvolle Bibel in Ungarn gestohlen

Einbruch in die Kirche von Vizsoly

A. O. Budapest, 10. Februar

Unbekannte haben am Sonntag in den frühen Morgenstunden in der reformierten Kirche der nordostungarischen Ortschaft Vizsoly einen Einbruch verübt und die dort verwahrte «Vizsolyer Bibel», einen Druck aus dem Jahr 1590, entwendet. Die Ausgabe, von der in der Welt nur noch etwa 20 Exemplare vorhanden sind, war im ausgehenden 16. Jahrhundert in Vizsoly gedruckt worden und ist darum nach dem Dorf benannt. Bei der Bibel handelt es sich um die erste vollständige gedruckte Übersetzung der Heiligen Schrift in ungarischer Sprache.
Der reformierte Bischof Gusztav Bölcskei wies in einer ersten Reaktion darauf hin, dass die Bibelausgabe die Schriftsprache des Landes während Jahrhunderten bestimmt habe. Der ideelle Wert eines jeden Exemplars sei unschätzbar, und sein Verschwinden bedeute einen schweren kulturhistorischen Verlust. Der Bischof vertrat die Meinung, dass die gestohlene Bibel in Ungarn selbst zu bekannt sei als dass sie veräussert werden könnte. Er hält es für möglich, dass die Aufmerksamkeit der Diebe deshalb auf die Beute gelenkt wurde, weil ein Exemplar der «Vizsolyer Bibel» letztes Jahr an einer Londoner Auktion verkauft worden war. Die ungarische Polizei und das Ministerium für Kultur setzten für Hinweise, die auf die Spur der Täterschaft führen, eine Belohnung in der Gesamthöhe von 4 Millionen Forint (etwa 24 000 Franken) aus.

IFAR program concerning the September 11th attacks

IFAR Symposium -- September 11th: Art Loss, Damage, and Repercussions Date: February 28th, from 6 - 8:30 p.m., in New York City The program is open to the public; reservations are necessary; and space is limited. Please see the IFAR Web site www.ifar.org for more information and a registration form The formal talkswill be followed by audience questions and refreshments
Distinguished speakers from the world of art and insurance will discuss the actualart lost on September 11th -- including public art, corporate art, and works in the artists' studios on the 92nd floor of the North Tower. One of the sculptor's whose works was destroyed, Elyn Zimmerman, will also speak.(Ironically, her work was a memorial tothe victims of the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center). The symposiumfeatures the curatorwho commissioned all the public artworks for the Port Authority (owner of the World Trade Center).
Two members of the insurance industry will also speak: Dietrich von Frank, CEO AXA, and Gregory Smith, a fine arts insurance adjuster at Cunningham Lindsey. The Director of the Museum of the American Indian, right near the Trade Center, whose objects were "saved" because ofinternal ventilation systems and quick thinking, will also speak. The final speaker, Lawrence Reger, President of Heritage Preservation and theHeritage Emergency National Task Force, will unveil the results of a questionnaire sent to more than 200 organizations in the World Trade Center area after the attack in an effort to assess the damage andtheir emergency preparedness.
For questions, please call IFAR (the International Foundation for Art Research) in New York at: (212) 391-6234

Sharon Flescher
Executive Director

£1 million ransom demand for missing painting

A £1 million ransom demand has reportedly been made for a painting, 12 years after it was stolen. The masterpiece believed to be by JMW Turner was stolen from a widow's cottage in Torquay in 1990. A Devon accountant says he's been approached by someone wanting to return the painting. It's estimated to be worth around £15 million. The accountant, who has not been named, told The Herald Express: "It could well be a genuine Turner. It's just amazing. This has come totally out of the blue." The widow has since died and handed her estate over to a national charity, which has been contacted by her executrix's law firm Hooper and Wollen. Lawyer Robert Paice said: "Obviously as solicitors to the executrix we would need to be able to have the picture authenticated and to discuss matters with the executrix and the charity who would benefit ultimately."
He says he saw the picture before it vanished, and he believes the one which has now come to light may be it. While work is being done to authenticate the painting by the 19th Century landscape artist, Torbay CID say the accountant has contacted them. A spokesman said: "We have been looking into the file and will be taking the matter further by again speaking to the accountant."
http://www.ananova.com/

Art dealer convicted of selling stolen Egyptian artefacts

A Manhattan art dealer has been convicted of buying and selling stolen Egyptian artefacts. The historic collection included a 2,400-year-old statue head worth £700,000. Frederick Schultz faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced next month. His lawyers say they will appeal against the verdict, the New York Post reports. Schultz was largely convicted on the testimony of a Briton, Jonathan Tokeley-Parry, an admitted smuggler who has already been freed from prison after serving three years. Tokeley-Parry told Manhattan federal court he concocted a plan with Schultz to hide the origins of the statue head of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. Schultz denied knowing the artefacts were stolen and claimed he was a victim of Tokeley-Parry's schemes. Under Egyptian law, recently discovered antiquities are the property of the government. The court heard the pair tried to claim the statue head was part of fictitious collection from the 1920s.
http://www.ananova.com/

From: yentasbagels
To: antiquedealersforum@yahoogroups.com
Sent: 2/13/02 2:14 PM
Subject:

Antiques from Afghanistan for sale on the internet

I just returned from Pakistan, 15 miles from the Afghan border. I spent 2 weeks with my friend's father who used to be the Foreighn Minister and General of Kabul in the late 70's and early 80's. He has been collecting antiques for 35 years and with Afghanistan's 12 thousand year history of great civilizations invading, they have an amazing bounty of atifacts. You can view some pictures on my website. www.nuristani.com
Anyone interested,please let me know.
Hank Cooper

Residents told to vandalise paving stones to stop thefts

Residents are being told to vandalise paving stones in a Yorkshire conservation area to stop thieves stealing them. Holes have been left in streets and gardens where thieves have uprooted dozens of slabs in Thornton, Bradford. Now a conservative councillor is urging the people living in the Bronte birthplace village to mark the stones to stop them being stolen. Clive Richardson, who is also a member of West Yorkshire Police Authority, says thieves are targeting Thornton because it's a conservation area which has a lot of stone. He told the Telegraph and Argus: "Obviously it wouldn't be any good putting post codes on them but this stone is worth a great deal of money when it is sold on. "It would be a good idea to mark or disfigure them in some way so that no one would want to buy them." Earlier this week Bradford Council announced it is to start asphalting over pavements where stones are being stolen because it is too costly to replace them. But conservation areas like Thornton have been excluded from the policy.

from: http://www.michelvanrijn.com

Cypriot authorities have granted bail to Frieda Tchacos as being on an island you can't swim ashore.
An extradition proceeding to Italy stands!

update 13-2-2002

A real time bomb under the antiquities world.

Of course Fred Schultz's ass is now officially grass. The maximum penalty is 5 years in prison and a fine of several hundred thousand dollars. Convicted as was unavoidable to happen, and correctly announced on my web site before anybody else ever dreamed of it. But that's only peanuts.
The big news I break today is that mega Zurich based art dealer Frieda Tchacos was arrested in Cyprus on request of the Italian police. Although she tries to fight it, she will soon be a "guest " in a small room in Rome. As I announced earlier on my site, Frieda had given the Carabinieri a Marble Statue of Artimides, which was "valued" by her at 4,5 million dollars. Mario Roberty did her leg work in Rome. What a great lawyer! The Italians accepted the statue kindly but were definitely not fooled! While she thought she had put the Italians to sleep with this "bribe", the Carabineri continued their investigation. Frieda is fighting by her high powered lawyers her extradition. She is proposing a bond of 300.000 Euro to be allowed to leave her cell in Cyprus and wait under house arrest in Zurich for the extradition proceedings.
The other big news is that Professor Dario Del Bufalo, third man in the Italian Ministry of Culture, traveled with her and her Basel based devils advocate Mario Roberty to Tajikistan, on her expenses. As already announced by us in the past. This important Italian politician and art historian is crazily embarrassed and afraid that I am going to spill the beans on his dealings with Frieda and Mario. …… of course I will :-) Frieda sold to the likes of the Getty museum and other important institutions around the world many stolen and smuggled antiquities. Mario Roberty, being her legal cover up all the way. You wonder where that leaves her good amigo Professor Dario Del Bufalo? Of course you will hear this soon.
The famous and determined General Conforti will be traveling to New York next month. Why…..? Because informant Robert Hecht decided now to grass on all his old "friends". He is paving the way for the feared General to get back many important prized possessions of Italy which were stolen by Hecht himself with the help of tombaroli compadres. The Metropolitan Museum is shaking as they're holding hostage the Euphronios Krater, the other museum that will be in big problems (again:-) is the Getty! Among many things the Getty is holding hostage, the famous statue stolen from Morgantina in Sicily.
I will update on everything in great detail, but as I am in the middle of an undercover operation in an impossible country, I'll have to do this bit by bit.
Sleep well.

From: giovanni Pinna giovanni@PINNA.CX
Subject:

about the denationalization of italian museums

To: ICOM-L@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM

Quand dans un article de la loi financière ( "finanziaria 2002" ) l'on a proposé de "offrir à des organismes privés l'entière gestion du service qui concerne l'exploitation publique des biens culturels ainsi que l'activité de participation aux travaux engagés dans le but de la mise en valeur" pour une période non inférieure à cinq ans et en échange d'une importante contrepartie en argent "incluant l'usage des biens culturels en question et faisant l'objet de cette concession", je me suis exprimé en tant que président de l'ICOM Italie en manifestant une grande préoccupation. Je craignais en effet que cet article ne fut que le premier pas vers la possibilité de disposer d'un patrimoine commun de la part de n'importe quelle entreprise, société, personne, association, coopérative, parti politique ou industrie. Je craignais tout simplement que l'on utilise les objets d'art, de science et d'histoire à des fins personnelles, que l'on imprime leurs marques sur les monuments, que l'on modifie et adapte les expositions, que l'on diminue le nombre des objets exposés dans les salles pour augmenter l'espace consacré aux ventes de livres et d'objets. A cette occasion j'ai dit que les musées et les monuments ne peuvent pas être considérés comme un service public comme on l'entend normalement, comme l'on considère par exemple les transports ou la santé, utilisés par les citoyens quand ils en ont la nécessité. J'ai dit alors que pour une communauté les musées et les monuments sont très importants: ils sont son âme, son histoire, sa mémoire, ils sont les symboles qui transmettent vie et vérité, ceux dans lesquels s'incarne l'idée même de nation. Pour une communauté nationale, les objets qui constituent son patrimoine culturel sont aussi important que son drapeau; ils s'agit de milliers de drapeaux dans lesquels se niche l'histoire et l'identité nationale, dont nous disons vouloir transmettre les valeurs aux générqtions futures. Pour cette raison, disais-je, les membres d'une communauté ou les citoyens d'une nation n'arrêtent pas de se servir de leurs biens culturels, même quand il ne vont pas visiter leurs musées ou leurs monuments: ils s'en servent quotidiennement, il leur suffit d'être conscient de leur existence. Je pensais donc que cette proposition de loi permettait de donner en concession ce qu'il n'est pas possible de céder et gardait pour l'Etat ce qui, au contraire, pouvait légitimement être cédé: elle permettait en effet l'usage du patrimoine, c'est à dire son usage commercial, à des privés et leur donnait aussi du même coup l'usage symbolique et culturel, ce qui équivaut à renoncer à la mémoire historique , aux sentiments et aux pensées des citoyens. A la suite des pressions de l'ICOM Italie et de nombreux directeurs de musées du monde, le gouvernement italien a, très raisonnablement, accepté des amendements à la loi et ouvertement accepté l'idée que les musées italiens doivent respecter, dans leurs buts et leurs fonctions, la définition de musée adoptée par l'ICOM: "une institution durable, sans buts lucratifs, au service de la société et de son développement" en incluant dans la loi une référence explicite à cette définition.

Giovanni Pinna
ICOM Italia

From: Noel Ramírez Olguín nramirez@galau.com.mx
To: securma@xs4all.nl
Subject:

International Standards of Security Measures - Museums of Art

Date sent: Thu, 14 Feb 2002 12:55:03 -0500

Museum Security Network
Tom Cremers
Reading your Web Page I found many things very interesting and I would like to ask you, if possible, help me with a doubt: where can I get the International Standards of Security Measures for Museums of Art majority accepted ?, I do not know if there is an International Committee or similar which set the rules and procedures.
Many thanks in advance,
Cordially Yours,
Noel Ramírez Olguín

Greek authorities uncover massive ancient artefact haul in house

Greek authorities have confiscated hundreds of ancient objects - including items dating to 900BC - from the home of a man accused of antiquities theft. Archaeologists who examined the antiquities found during a search of the house in Serres said they dated from the Archaic, Classic and Hellenistic periods. The find includes an Egyptian necklace and 411 bronze and silver coins, some depicting Alexander the Great and the ancient goddess Athena. Another 200 objects included two bronze amphorae, clay lamps, six statuettes, two swords, jewelry, arrow heads and belt buckles. Police arrested 54-year-old Nikolas Laoutidis, who was to appear before a public prosecutor to be charged with antiquities theft. According to Greek law, it is illegal to own, buy, sell or excavate antiquities without a special permit.
http://www.ananova.com/

02/11/2002 (Associated Press)

Stolen historical documents turn up on eBay

PHILADELPHIA (AP) A veteran National Archives employee was charged with theft Monday for allegedly stealing dozens of historical documents including presidential pardons and slave trade materials and selling them on eBay. At least 100 documents worth at least $100,000 were stolen and many have not been recovered, authorities said. The thefts "jeopardized our nation's ability to preserve its history for future generations and for review by historians," U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan said. Prosecutors said Shawn Aubitz, 45, simply put the documents in his briefcase and left the agency's field office in downtown Philadelphia. Federal officials are working to tighten security, National Archives Inspector General Paul Brachfeld said. He did not elaborate. Aubitz, a 14-year employee, was charged with one count of theft by a government employee for allegedly taking the items between 1996 and 1999. The agency said it was apparently the first time in its 68-year history that an employee has been charged with stealing historical documents. Aubitz has an unlisted telephone number and could not be reached for comment. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Zauzmer said Aubitz is cooperating with investigators but cannot remember exactly how many documents he took, so authorities were uncertain how many items remain missing. About 60 items have been recovered, but many others were sold and have not been located, Meehan said. Among those are at least a dozen presidential pardons from the 1800s. The stolen items included pardons signed by presidents including James Madison, Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson; Civil War documents including an 1863 warrant to the United States Marshal to seize the estate of Robert E. Lee; slave trade documents; and hundreds of autographed photographs of astronauts taken during Apollo and space shuttle missions.
A National Parks Service employee, whose name was not released, called authorities after seeing an item on the Internet auction site eBay and "becoming suspicious of the availability of the document," Zauzmer said. The investigation led them to Aubitz, who was expected to turn himself in to authorities within several days, Zauzmer said. If convicted, Aubitz faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Investigators are contacting people in the business of buying and selling American artifacts in the hopes of tracking down the items, Zauzmer said. The Philadelphia office has some 120 million historical documents from federal agencies and courts in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. The National Archives, based in Washington, has satellite offices in more than a dozen states.

The Art Newspaper.com

This week's top stories:

EGYPTIAN ANTIQUITIES DEALER WILL APPEAL VERDICT

NEW YORK. A federal jury here has found Frederick Schultz guilty of violating US law by conspiring to receive stolen Egyptian antiquities in a case that is a first for New York. The verdict is sure to send deep vibrations through the antiquities trade here by criminalising the conduct of an antiquities dealer based on a foreign law. “We are very disappointed in the result,” Linda Imes, one of Mr Schultz's attorneys at the New York law firm Richards Spears Kibbe & Orbe, told The Art Newspaper. “However, we intend to take an appeal.” http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=8855

THE MUSEUM COMPANY GOES BUST

NEW YORK. The Museum Company, the chain of gift shops that sells the kind of merchandise that consumers expect to find in museums, has filed for bankruptcy. The decision by the firm follows a weak Christmas season for retailers in the United States and a holiday period in which tourists avoided major American cities, where the company’s operating costs were highest. http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=8854

FIGURES ILLUSTRATE THE “BILBAO EFFECT”

LONDON. The Guggenheim Bilbao had another excellent year, despite the tourism slump following 11 September. Visitor numbers were 930,000, only slightly down on 2000. Foreign tourists represented 48% of the total, with the largest contingents coming from France, America, Britain, Germany and Italy. Spaniards from outside the Basque Country accounted for a further 35% and the remaining 17% were locals. http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=8853

CONTEMPORARY ART, LONDON: WHERE HAVE ALL THE WARHOLS GONE?

LONDON. Both Sotheby’s and Christie’s demonstrated that consignments of attractive material can perform as effectively in the salerooms of London as in New York, a point illustrated particularly well by the prices achieved for handsome photographs by Andreas Gursky, Thomas Struth, Thomas Ruff and Thomas Demand. http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=8852

THE MARTYRDOM OF SAINT CECILIA...

ROME. One of the major masterpieces of baroque sculpture, Stefano Maderno’s statue of the dead Saint Cecilia in the church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, has been restored by the art historian Anna Lo Bianco and the restorer Adriano Luzi. http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=8851

ART CRITIC’S CAR TAKES CENTRE STAGE

LONDON. The remains of a car, which originally belonged to Robert Hughes, former art critic of Time, is on show at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art. Hughes had a near fatal crash in his Nissan in May 1999, when returning from a fishing trip on the west coast of Australia. Artist Danius Kesminas got hold of the wreckage of the car, already compressed to a block in a metal yard, and made a piece entitled “Hugbris” for the exhibition "Elvis has just left the building". http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=8850

SOTHEBY’S ALLIES WITH EBAY

LONDON. Sotheby’s failing online auction site, Sothebys.com, is hoping to reinvent itself by forging a strategic alliance with the auction giant eBay Inc. Launched with a great fanfare two years ago, Sotheby’s.com, despite sales of $100 million, has been haemorrhaging money, so far costing the company in excess of $74 million. http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=8830

SURREALIST’S HOME NOW OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

LONDON. Farley Farm, once the home of Surrealist Sir Roland Penrose and his photographer wife Lee Miller, is opening up to visitors, for tours. Acquired by the couple in 1949, the Sussex farmhouse became an artistic mecca. Guests who stayed there included Picasso, Miró, Ernst, Dubuffet, Man Ray, Paul Eluard, Leonora Carrington and André Masson—all of whom left artwork or memorabilia which still adorn its walls. http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=8810

Anna Somers Cocks, Editor
contact@theartnewspaper.com
The Art Newspaper
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