On 10 December, 2002, eighteen major museums and research institutes of Europe and America, including the British Museum and the Louvre Museum, jointly signed a Declaration on the Importance and Value of Universal Museums (hereinafter referred to as "Declaration"), which opposes returning art works, especially ancient ones, to their original owners.
On 10 December, 2002, eighteen major museums and research institutes of Europe and America, including the British Museum and the Louvre Museum, jointly signed a Declaration on the Importance and Value of Universal Museums (hereinafter referred to as "Declaration"), which opposes returning art works, especially ancient ones, to their original owners.
"Over time, objects acquired-whether by purchase, or exchange of gifts - have become part of the museums that have cared for them, and by extension part of the heritage of the nations which house them", the Declaration stated. European and American museums house numerous Chinese treasures Although there is no ready statistics showing how many Chinese relics scattered in these 18 museums, it is certain, experts said, that they are no small in number. According to statistics released by Chinese Society of Cultural Relics, China's cultural relics have been lost to amazing figures calculated by the million pieces, including hundreds of thousands of super-quality works, scattered in 47 countries, some of them being taken away in wartime. In terms of Chinese paintings alone, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York claims the biggest quantity while the British Museum boasts the best-quality paintings. As for porcelain, le Musee Guimet of France is famed for its best collection of Asian art works. In America, over thousand large bronze wares of ancient China can be found, including at least thousand extraordinary pieces. Among European countries, Britain has a richest collection of Chinese cultural objects, next comes France, in its Guimet museum over half of the works collected are of Chinese origin, more than 30,000 pieces in number.
"Declaration" goes against international conventions
In 1995 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) signed the Convention on Stolen and Illegally Exported Cultural Objects, stipulating that any cultural object looted or lost due to reasons of war should be returned without any limitation of time span. Apparently the Declaration by 18 museums runs counter to the sprit of international convention.
On March 7, 1997, the Chinese government acceded to the UN-signed Unidroit Convention on Stolen and Illegally Exported Cultural Objects, which laid down regulations that (1) stolen or illegally excavated cultural objects shall be returned to the owners (nation, natural or legal persons), (2) cultural objects exported illicitly shall be restituted upon request by the country of origin if it can prove that the illegal export would have an essential impact on scientific or cultural interests or that the object is of essential cultural significance for the country of origin. According to the Convention, the Chinese government has the right, in 75 years from then on, to demand return of cultural objects taken out of Chinese land through illegal means. This provides legal support for China's demand for return of cultural objects. At the same time the Chinese government declared that China still reserved the right for the return of objects stolen or illegally exported before the Convention came into effect.
Chinese experts fight for return of treasures
On October 18, 2002, a special fund was established by the Chinese Social and Cultural Development Foundation in an effort to rescue lost cultural relics from overseas. A group of experts gathered together today to protest the "Declaration" and discuss means to get cultural relics back. Currently, besides diplomatic channels, China chiefly buys back its treasures in auctions. The protestation of experts will be made known to public and the Association calls for more entrepreneurs and non-governmental organizations to join in the rank fighting for the return of Chinese relics.
By PD Online Staff Li Heng
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/
Report: Chinese palace fire traced to illegal school within complex
Mon Jan 27, 7:08 AM ET
BEIJING - Investigators believe a fire that razed a 600-year-old Chinese palace was ignited by electrical appliances in a martial arts school that illegally rented space there, the official Xinhua News Agency said Monday. The Yuzhengong Palace, included on the United Nations' list of major cultural heritage sites, caught fire Jan. 19. No injuries were reported. Set on a mountainside in central China's Hubei province, it was considered a leading example of architecture from the late Yuan (1271- 1368) and early Ming (1368-1644) dynasties. Investigators have traced the fire to the Chenkui Film, Television and Martial Arts school, which had rented space in the temple since 1996 for 15,000 yuan (US$1,800) a year, Xinhua said. Authorities have detained a teacher and a student from the school on suspicion of negligence, since the fire was apparently caused by substandard electrical equipment, the report said. It noted that national tourist sites aren't supposed to rent space to businesses. The palace covered an area of more than 50,000 square meters (540,000 square feet). It was unclear how many of its structures were damaged by the fire. The U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization says the palace complex, "represents the highest standards of Chinese art and architecture over a period of nearly 1,000 years."
http://story.news.yahoo.com/
++ The Museum Secirity Network disclaims any responsibillity for product information ++
From: IntlArtCop@aol.com Date sent: Tue, 28 Jan 2003 16:10:17 EST
Subject: Museum Security Knowledge Base Released
To: securma@xs4all.nl
Steve Keller and Associates, Inc, a leading museum security consulting firm in the U.S. is pleased to announce the release of "The Security Department Knowledge Base" a comprehensive solution for museum security management. This software is driven by FileMaker Pro, a powerful relational database program widely used in museums. It is not necessary to own FileMaker Pro to run the standalone version of the program.
"The Security Department Knowledge Base" will be unveiled at the Smithsonian's National Conference on Cultural Property Protection in Washington, D.C. on Sunday February 2. Demo versions will be given to all attendees who visit the demonstration in the exhibit hall.
The software is comprehensive and power. Its intent is to include as many of the administrative functions as possible that are time consuming or often fall through the cracks in a museum. It is also intended to give the security manager a means of measuring the productivity of his or her officers in order to justify budgets. And it is intended to give small museums with a small staff, low budget, and who lack a security infrastructure the ability to substantially improve their security while actually reducing the amount of time they spend on administrative operations.
The software is available in both Windows and Mac versions and is delivered in both a standalone version for non-networked computers and in a network version for networks. Both versions are included and the software can be used on as many computers in the user's organization as desired without extra cost. The program costs $399 but is available through February 20 for $299. Shipping is included and each copy is personalized to the museum with their name and logo on the entry screen.
The software includes the following features and databases and while many reports are pre-defined for ease of use, the reports can be run in custom formats and searches can occur in a user-defined manner.
Maintain Data On All Of Your Employees and Affiliates with Photos. Process Visitors. Store and Retrieve Visitor Records with Photos. Print Visitor Passes with Photos and Color Code of the Day on any color printer. Changing color code prevents re-use the next day. Print visitor passes by Temp Badge or on roll labels on a Dymo roll printer. Process Incoming and Outgoing Property. Store and Retrieve Property Records of All Types. Print Property Passes with Photo of Item. Process and Print Object Removal Notices. Track Removed Items. Process Lost and Found Property From Discovery to Disposal. Maintain Comprehensive Training Records. Print Training Certificates in fancy bordered stock. Track Equipment and Equipment Service. Reduce Equipment Service Costs by Finding Recurring Problems. Control Contractors and Print Permits for Welding and Torching. Track Employees Needing Rescue Assistance. Instantly See a List of Those Needing Rescue Assistance At the Touch of a Button Maintain a "Who To Call" Contractor Database for Emergencies. License Coffee Makers and Heat Producing Appliances. Print Permits. Control After Hour Access and Print Request Forms. Track Museum Events on One Consolidated Events Log. Log Visitor Complaints and Suggestions. Track Disaster Supplies and Inventory. Issue Uniforms and Equipment. Keep Issuance Logs. Print Receipts. Know Who Has What Key Ring or Key Box Manage Fire Extinguisher Inspections and Inventory. Manage Watch Patrols With Varying Patrol Routes. Prepare Incident Reports/Track Incidents. Automate the Preparation of the Supervisor's Shift Report. Log Building Conditions on Watch Patrols. Know Who Is Authorized To Sign Property Passes, etc Maintain Employee Phone and Email Lists Easily and Quickly.
The Program Comes With 30 Policy Drafts For Your Manual. And Featuring the "Knowledge Base Library" That Puts All Of Your Important Information At Your Fingertips! New Policies and Database Plug-Ins To Be Released Regularly! Pre-Defined and User Defined Reports and Print Outs Search and Retrieve Data Instantly. No Software To Buy for the standalone version. FileMaker Pro for Server needed for network use.
The "Security Department Knowledge Base Library" is a feature that allows you to save your manuals and important materials needed by guards to pdf format, rename them per the protocol, put them in specified folders, and have them appear on the screen at a touch of the button, putting all of your important data at your fingertips.
The thirty policy templates are nearly a full security policy manual by themselves and cover most of the important areas dealt with by this software. Modify them on any word processor and add them to your existing manual. Store them in your "Knowledge Base Library" for instant access.
For more information and screen shots of some of the actual screens, please go to www.stevekeller.com/knowledge/faq.htm. Download the brochure in pdf format.
The program will be available in Spanish by late 2003. Version 2.0 plug-ins and more policy manual templates are planned for mid-2003 only for users of version 1.0.
See the website above for ordering information or contact steve@stevekeller.com.
------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Tue, 28 Jan 2003 19:40:56 -0800 (PST) From: Christopher Seal wchseal@sbcglobal.net
Subject: Re: Chinese Experts Demand Return of Cultural Relics
To: securma@xs4all.nl
Dear Ton,
Thank you for your service to the art world in bringing to the fore important issues.
I believe that the two articles you kindly posted today were, taken together, most enlightening. "Chinese Experts Demand Return of Cultural Relics" has as an instructive autocommentary the article that follows, "Chinese palace fire traced to illegal school within complex."
Surely, the Greek government can be trusted, under the right conditions, to provide a secure home for the Pathenon Marbles as a permanent loan from the British Museum. However, it is obvious that conditions are not right for the return of a select number of cultural artifacts from other countries held in museums. One only has to contemplate the horrendous conditions under which Egypt's treasures are kept to give one second thoughts about repatriation of cultural artifacts. Needless to say, the looting which saved much of the Kabul Museum's collection from certain destruction was an unfortunate but fortuitously "felix culpa.". I, myself, used to own artifacts indubitably looted from an Imperial Palace during the Boxer Rebellion, and, from time to time, I have encountered others in collections. Since important Chinese cultural artifacts are still quite freely available from dealers within China itself, one might think that there ought to be a rather more vigorous effort to prevent their sale overseas before a group of interested parties in China try to retrieve those that have already gone overseas. The likelihood that any retrieved items would be resold is not beyond conception.
Christopher Seal
Dear Christopher,
I am afraid that you really have a point here. I have been told that numerous shops in Hong Kong sell Chinese artifacts that without any doubt were recently imported from mainland China. Rumours have it that corrupt Chinese officials participate in this trade. Yet, in my humble opinion, there is never a trade without customers. European, American, and Japanese (MIHO) museums and private collectors must realize that the acquisition of unprovenanced Chinese cultural objects is against Chinese law and very unethical, notwithstanding the fact that corrupt Chinses officials may play a role in the illicit export.
As for the conditions under which countries safeguard the cultural heritage: for several years now a project has been going on in Mali where a Netherlands museum supports the conservation and restoration of artifacts locally (I do realize that Netherlands museums too hold objects with a dubious origin...).
With all due respect, I really do not support the view expressed by museum directors in Europe and the USA that 'we' are far better able to safeguard cultural heritage. Even if this is true this does not give us the right to loot cultural objects from less rich countries. The safeguarding of the Parthenon Marbles very often is used as an excuse for Elgin's theft. One must not forget that the removal of these marbles aused a lot of damage itself. A major part of one of the friezes fell from the Parthenon roof and broke to pieces when Elgin and his gang removed it. The first ship with marbles Elgin sent to England wrecked right in front of the Greek coast. The cleansing of the marbles in the British Museum was performed so clumsily that the vulnerable surfaces were damaged.
There are many, many more examples of damage caused while removing artifacts. Do visit Angkor Wat and see all these statues with heads and limbs missing. This goes also for Greek and Italian sculptures. Most of this danage was caused intentionally. These sculptures were just to big to handle and heads were broken off for easy of transportation. There also is the scientific damage caused by illicit excavations, Finally, cultures and people in source countries are robbed of there context. After 10 December the declaration by 18 European and American museum directors AFRIMET most rightly commented that this attitude os very Eurocentric. The statement that European and American museums show culture taht belongs to the global heritage is pure nonsense. There has always been, and still is an absolute one- way traffic of cultural objects from Africa., Asia, Middle and South America to European and American museums and collectors. I hate to say this, but the present attitude in the westeren world really is an inacceptable remnant of collonialism.
Is a legal owner's poor maintenance of cultural property justification for theft?
Ton Cremers
Antiques smuggled from dig sites lose their history — and with it much of their value
By Sheila Farr Seattle Times art critic
For archaeologists and scholars, the smuggling of genuine artifacts has more serious consequences than the trade in fakes. When an artwork is stolen from an archaeological site and sold outside the country, experts have no way to trace the history of the piece; its link to the past is lost. For museums and collectors, an object with a provenance — a record of where it was found and who previously owned it — is worth much more. The worldwide market for antiquities has ignited in the past 20 years. The black market for looted artifacts is estimated to be worth billions of dollars, according to The Illicit Antiquities Research Centre at the University of Cambridge, England, which links the growing business to organized crime. The fact that Chinese government officials occasionally crack down hard on smugglers "should not obscure the fact that they have largely tolerated the illegal export of art objects," according to The Art Newspaper, which criticizes corrupt government officials for facilitating the trade. Smugglers routinely decimate temples and archaeological sites in countries without the resources to protect their cultural heritage. Collectors in North America, Europe and Japan eagerly buy up the spoils.
China Daily said recently, "Most Chinese grave-robbers' loot usually ends up in expensively decorated living rooms on New York's Upper East Side." Collectors argue that they protect treasures that might otherwise go uncared for.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/
CULTURAL TREASURES SAVED FOR THE NATION
Important paintings, furniture and an archive are among cultural treasures that have been accepted in lieu of inheritance tax, Arts Minister Tessa Blackstone announced today. The Minister also announced the allocation of eight offers previously accepted in lieu. They have been allocated to public museums, galleries and archives in Manchester, Liverpool, Oxford, Cambridge, Leeds and London. The Stanley Spencer Gallery, Cookham, the River and Rowing Museum, Henley on Thames and the Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston have all benefited from the Acceptance in Lieu Scheme for the first time. Baroness Blackstone said: “Once again I am delighted with the success of the Acceptance in lieu scheme. This initiative offers members of the public much more than an exciting opportunity to see many previously inaccessible works of art; it also helps to ensure that new acquisitions are widely distributed throughout the country, and operates to the benefit of former owners.” The Arts Minister’s decisions follow recommendations made by Resource that the items are sufficiently pre-eminent to be accepted by the nation and that they are correctly valued.
Mark Wood, Resource's Acting Chairman, commented: “The range and quality of the items which Acceptance in Lieu has secured demonstrates once again how successful this scheme has become. Resource, with overall responsibility for the AIL programme, is delighted that not only uniquely important paintings, but archives of immense cultural significance have now been made available for the public. We are also pleased that the AIL Panel has for the first time recommended the allocation of items to galleries in Preston, Henley and Cookham.” The objects that have been accepted are:
• A group portrait by William Hogarth which satisfies £630,000 worth of tax;
• The typescripts of Anthony Powell CH, CBE which satisfy £420,000 worth of tax; • A silver two-handled basket, known as the Capel Basket, which satisfies £305,508 worth of tax;
• Thirty two watercolours by Edward Lear which satisfy £297,500 worth of tax;
• The professional archive of Sir Leslie Martin which satisfies £245,000 worth of tax;
• A painting by Jean-Francois Millet which satisfies £245,000 worth of tax;
• Four Early Nineteenth-century bookcases by Gillows which satisfy £116,296 worth of tax;
• Chattels from Dudmaston, Shropshire which satisfy £126,861 worth of tax;
• A pair of George I walnut and seaweed-marquetry side chairs and an Egyptian bronze figure of a ram which satisfy £98,198 worth of tax;
• Three paintings by John Piper and one by Ivon Hitchins, which satisfy £32,900 worth of tax;
• The Journals of Robert Curzon which satisfy £24,500 worth of tax;
• A painting by Ben Nicholson known as Cumberland Farm which satisfies £24,500 worth of tax.
Notes to Editors
1. Images of the Hogarth painting, Lear watercolours, Nicholson and Millet paintings can be obtained free of charge via our site on Picselect the Press Association’s publicity image service. Please go to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport folder situated within the Arts section of Picselect either at www.papicselect.com or through PA bulletin board.
2. Details of the items accepted in lieu of inheritance tax are:
• Group Portrait by William Hogarth This Group Portrait by Hogarth ( 1697-1764) is thought to depict Catherine Darnley, Duchess of Buckingham at Buckingham House (now Buckingham Palace), around 1736, with two ladies of her family or close acquaintances. Hogarth is widely regarded as the outstanding exponent of the conversation-piece although his pictures of this type are quite rare with many in American collections.
• The typescripts of Sir Anthony Powell CH Anthony Powell (1905-2000) was one of the leading novelists of his generation and this archive includes the corrected typescripts of all his novels, with the single exception of Venusberg, 1932. His greatest achievement is the twelve- novel sequence A Dance to the Music of Time (1951-1975) which chronicles the lives of a group of acquaintances across 50 years from the outbreak of World War I to the early 1970s. Included also are the typescripts of Powell’s four volumes of autobiography To Keep the Ball Rolling (1976-1982). Powell always composed straight onto a typewriter so there are no manuscripts of his works. The typescripts have ink and pencil corrections which show the author honing and developing his distinctive style with extensive additions, deletions and changes.
• The Capel Basket This offer is of a silver two-handled basket, known as the Capel Basket, made by Pierre Harache in London in 1686. It weighs 111ozs, 10dwt. It is of a form which is very rare in English silver and is of exceptional quality both in its design and in its workmanship. It has the added interest of being a very early example of Harache's workmanship which displays his mastery of the Parisian court style. The design represents the cutting-edge of style of its period. Although, undoubtedly made in England, it has been described as, "an exceptionally rare piece of French silver, made by a Frenchman, using French designs and techniques."
• Thirty two watercolours by Edward Lear This offer is of 32 watercolours of Greece by Edward Lear (1812-1888). The majority of the items are in pencil, pen and ink and watercolour with signatures, dates and inscriptions. They show the close affinity Lear had with Greece, which itself mirrors the close political relations between the UK and the emerging Greek state.
• The professional archive of Sir Leslie Martin (1908-2000) This archive includes the correspondence, teaching documents, annotated architectural books, architectural drawings, plans and models of the distinguished architect Sir Leslie Martin. His most famous building is the Royal Festival Hall, but he was also responsible for many other buildings including many post war university campuses around England, including those of Cambridge, Egham, Hull, Leicester and Oxford. Sir Leslie was also behind the unrealised plan to replace much of Victorian Whitehall with buildings thought to be in keeping with Britain’s post-War role and image.
• A painting by Jean-Francois Millet (1642-1679) This painting by Millet is known as An extensive Italianate landscape. Millet was born in Antwerp to French parents and settled in Paris in the 1660's. According to contemporary literature, Millet began his career painting copies of modern and Old Master paintings for the collector Everard Jabach and an inventory compiled after Jabach’s death included fifty seven references to Millet’s paintings both copies and original works. Millet has less than ten works on public display in the UK.
• Four Early Nineteenth century bookcases by Gillows These four Regency bookcases were designed and built by Gillows of London and Lancaster. They were built for Nostell Priory, Yorkshire which was given to the National Trust in 1952. Gillows were commissioned by the owner of Nostell Priory, Charles Winn, for additional shelving to house his book collection. The bookcases were designed to harmonise with the existing library furniture which had been designed by Adam and Chippendale. They have been allocated to the National Trust for display at Nostell Priory.
• Chattels from Dudmaston, Shropshire This offer consists of a late 17th century suite of William and Mary walnut seat furniture (two settees and nine chairs) and twenty nine Chinese ceramics. All of the items are from Dudmaston which was given to the National Trust by the LabouchPre family in 1978. The furniture originally came from Burley- on-the-Hill, home of Daniel Finch (2nd Earl of Nottingham and 6th Earl of Winchelsea). The ceramics were collected in China and added to the existing collection at Dudmaston. The items have been allocated to the National Trust for display at Dudmaston.
• A pair of George I walnut and seaweed-marquetry side chairs and an Egyptian bronze figure of a ram. The chairs were almost certainly made for Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford (d. 1741) for Wimpole Hall, Cambridgeshire and remained there until the house and contents were sold in 1894. The chairs are examples of the Louis XIV ‘antique’ fashion promoted by Daniel Marot. The chairs are likely to date to the 1710s and made for a bedroom apartment and would have been originally upholstered en suite with an elaborately draped bed. The Egyptian bronze dates to the 4th century BC and depicts a striding animal with realistically modeled body and finely sculpted face horns and mane. It is 5 inches high. The ram was sacred to the Egyptian god Amun and associated with Re, the sun god. The sculpture would have served as a votive offering and combines Egyptian iconography with the natural observation and modeling of Greek Art.
• Three paintings by John Piper and one by Ivon Hitchins These four paintings date from the 1930’s and belong to a period in both artists’ careers when they were at their most innovative. Hitchins (1893-1979) painted Wooded Landscape in 1934, which is thought to be an early and rare example by this artist who developed a distinctive style between abstraction and figuration. Piper (1903-1992) was by the 1930’s making a significant contribution to British Modernism. He painted Three bathers beside the sea in 1933 and Haford Gardens and Llyn Liyncaws in 1939.
• Journals of Robert Curzon Robert Curzon (1810-1873) was also known as the 14th Baron Zouche. The Journals record his journeys in the Middle East during the 1830’s and were used as a basis for his famous book Visits to the Monasteries of Levant. The manuscript is accompanied by over fifty pen and ink and wash drawings, mostly by an unknown hand. During the course of his travels, Curzon collected many important manuscripts which are now in the British Library.
• A painting by Ben Nicholson known as Cumberland Farm
This work by Ben Nicholson was painted around 1928 and belongs to a group of works painted by the artist when he was living in Cumberland during the late 1920's. The painting has been described as both rare and important, as Nicholson went on to develop the abstract style in which he worked for the rest of his life. The painting has been allocated to Brighton and Hove City Council for display at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery.
3. Details of items that have been accepted previously and have now been allocated are as follows:
• The Stanley Spencer Gallery, Cookham-on-Thames has been allocated View from Cookham Bridge by Stanley Spencer. For further information please see DCMS News Release 139/2002.
• Three Works by John Piper (for further information regarding this offer please refer to DCMS News Release 139/2002). The Tate Gallery has been allocated fifty-five sketchbooks of John Piper (1903-1992), the Victoria and Albert Museum has been allocated a watercolour of Set Design for Cranks for display at the Theatre Museum and String Solo has been allocated to the River and Rowing Museum, Henley on Thames.
• Preston City Council has been allocated a painting by Arthur Devis (1711-1787) entitled The Reverend and Mrs Streynsham Master for display at the Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston. For further information please see DCMS News Release 139/2002.
• The Museums of Costume, Manchester has been allocated an important collection of 17th and 18th century clothes and textiles. For further information please refer to DCMS news release 139/2002.
• Two Dutch flower paintings. One painting is by Roelandt Savery (1576-1639), entitled A still life of irises, a tulip, roses, violets and other flowers, in a roemer with a dragonfly, a lizard and a frog on a ledge has been allocated to the Fitzwilliam Museum. The second is by Balthasar van der Ast (c1593-1656) and is entitled A Still life of an iris, a lily, a carnation, tulips, roses and other flowers in a pewter jug, with shells, a grasshopper and petals nearby on a ledge, a spider and butterfly resting on blooms, and a bee above has been allocated to the National Gallery. Please refer to DCMS news release 139/22.
• A gold chocolate cup and cover has been allocated to Temple Newsam House, Leeds. For further information please refer to DCMS news release 139/2002.
• The archives of the 13th, 14th and 15th Earls of Derby have been allocated to Liverpool Record Office for an initial period of five years. For further information please refer to DCMS news release 24/02.
4. Acceptance in Lieu (AIL)
• The provisions for the AIL procedure are contained in the National Heritage Act 1980, the Inheritance Tax Act 1984 and supplementary Finance Acts. Among other things, the provisions empower the Commissioners of Inland Revenue to accept certain property in whole or part satisfaction of inheritance tax (and its predecessors, estate duty and capital transfer tax) and any interest thereon. • In practice, qualifying property typically falls into the following categories: land; buildings; works of art including pictures; books; prints; archives; manuscripts; furniture; craft objects; historic objects; scientific objects; technological objects; and other such items. Objects may be accepted if the Secretary of State agrees to their pre-eminence in terms of national, scientific, historic or artistic interest as well as their valuation and condition. Objects may also be accepted where they are associated with a particular building and where the Secretary of State believes it desirable for the object to remain associated with the building or acceptance may be agreed where objects have a significant association with a particular place. The Secretary of State has the power to direct where accepted property is placed and this includes provision to decide whether property may continue to be kept in a place with which it has a significant association. (This latter power enables the Secretary of State to decide if accepted items may be publicly displayed in situ.) The public has access to all items accepted under the procedure - chattels go to public collections and land, building and in situ offers must allow public access.
• Under the arrangements announced in the Spring Budget 1998, no acceptances in lieu require expenditure by the Department. Instead, the Revenue will accept items in lieu of taxes without seeking reimbursement from the Secretary of State.
• The Revenue's Capital Taxes Office (CTO) refers competent offers of putatively "pre-eminent" or "associated" objects to the AIL Panel of Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries. The AIL Panel, having taken into account the views of independent experts, advises the Secretary of State on whether property offered is suitable for acceptance in lieu by the Commissioners of Inland Revenue, in terms of its pre-eminence, condition and valuation as well as any condition in the offer as to allocation. Resource also advises the Secretary of State on questions of the allocation (both temporary and permanent) of such property. Where land or buildings are offered, the CTO refers direct to DCMS who consult advisers such as the Countryside Commission, the Forestry Authority and English Heritage. The Historical Manuscripts Commission advises the Secretary of State on the permanent allocation of records, archives and manuscripts.
Press Enquiries: 020 7211 6272\6276 Out of hours telephone pager no: 07699 751153 Public Enquiries: 020 7211 6200 Internet: http://www.culture.gov.uk
Chicago Museum Cancels Show About Art Looting by the Nazis
By RALPH BLUMENTHAL
The Art Institute of Chicago, the first American museum to settle a case involving a work of Nazi-looted art, has canceled an exhibition and catalog called "Nazi Art Looting" set for this summer. The show had been in the planning stages for about a year and was canceled without public announcement in the last few weeks, Eileen Harakal, the Art Institute's executive director for public affairs, confirmed last night, after people involved in the plundered-art issue heard of the cancellation. Privately, museum curators cited restrictions arising from a number of settlements in looting cases that would leave the museum unable to depict the complexity of the material. They said the director and staff had raised concerns that simplification would distort the story for the public.
Ms. Harakal said that there was not enough research available and that the show "didn't come together." She said it had nothing to do with the institute's involvement in a Nazi looting case going back to 1995. In that case, the daughter and grandsons of Friedrich and Louise Gutman, who died in Nazi death camps, said a Degas painting, "Landscape With Smokestacks," bought in 1987 for $850,000 by Daniel C. Searle, an Art Institute trustee, had been stolen from the family by the Germans in Paris. A family relative spotted the painting in a catalog in 1995. It had passed through various owners before Mr. Searle bought it, unaware, he said, of its history. The family sued Mr. Searle, and a settlement was reached in 1998 in which the Art Institute acquired the work for an undisclosed sum. The relatives received half the proceeds, as did Mr. Searle, who returned the money to the museum. Jonathan Petropoulos, an associate professor of history at Claremont McKenna College in California and former art research director of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States, said he had agreed to supply the Chicago show with a picture of Hitler in his bunker with plans for an art museum in Linz, Austria. He said he was taken aback by word of the cancellation. http://www.nytimes.com/
Attack on Iraq will put ancient sites at risk By Adam Sherwin, Media Reporter
A BBC film made with the co-operation of Baghdad claims that some of the ancient world's most important monuments would be destroyed in an attack against Iraq. The architectural historian Dan Cruickshank makes the claim in a BBC Two documentary produced after the Iraqi Ministry of Information invited a British film crew to visit the country's "lost cities". Remains from Babylon, the site associated with the Garden of Eden and the oldest Christian monastery would be in the firing line, Mr Cruickshank argues in a programme, which could be accused of being an Iraqi propaganda coup.
Military strategists said that sites of religious importance, such as mosques, would be "off-limits" during bombing missions. The Ministry of Defence is determined to avoid another Dresden ” the medieval German city that was destroyed by Allied bombing in 1945. A spokesman declined to comment on potential targets. However, a well placed source said: "During the Gulf War we went to great lengths to avoid hitting important sites, and "smart" bombs have reduced collateral damage. "
A list of monuments to avoid will be drawn up. It is likely that Ur sustained some damage in 1991 but this was a casualty of Saddam's decision to site an air base there. Mr Cruickshank and a three-man film crew were given access to sites he described as the "cradle of Western civilisation". They filmed evidence that Saddam has bases near the most important monuments, including the 2,000-year-old city of Hatra. Mr Cruickshank believes that Saddam intends to provoke such attacks to rouse Iraqis. The sites were popular tourist attractions until Saddam came to power. Mr Cruickshank found them abandoned and derelict other than for the care of local Beduin, who were fiercely proud of their contribution to world culture. Speaking at Querna, on the southern tip of Iraq, where the Euphrates and Tigris meet and Adam's tree is said to mark the Garden of Eden, Mr Cruickshank said: "An act of war visited on these people would not just be a catastrophe for history and wreck an ancient culture but bestir these peaceful people into a terrible fury."
The team was granted entry last November as the prospects of conflict increased. The team were assigned two "minders", who did not hinder them. Mr Cruickshank said that although Iraq thought of the film as propaganda he feared that the "lost cities" might be destroyed in ignorance. He visited Mosul, 250 miles north of Baghdad, which was the heart of Mesopotamia more than 7,000 years ago and is now in the nothern Iraq exclusion zone. Saba al-Omari, the curator of Mosul Museum, said that stray bombs often landed near by and that they would "protect this museum until the last drop of our blood". Further south, at Hatra, the ancient trading city, the crew filmed a nearby airbase. "This close juxtaposition of history and modern military construction is particularly disturbing," Mr Cuickshank said. At Samarra Mr Cruickshank was shown a 9th-century spiral minaret that marks the remains of the world's largest mosque. This, along with the oldest Christian monastery, situated in Mosul and dating from the 4th century BC, was under threat, he was told. The historian is critical of Saddam's regime. "Saddam is an utter monster and we had to be careful about the tone when people are about to go there and are risking their lives." The programme launches a ten-day BBC campaign, designed to inform the public about Iraq. Tony Blair will be interviewed by Jeremy Paxman in Newsnight next Thursday and February 12 will be designated "Iraq dayâ".
Dan Cruickshank and the Lost Cities of Iraq, BBC Two, 9pm on Sunday 2nd February also see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2003/01_january/24/iraq_day.sht ml