March 06 2003 at 07:08AM
Lima - Nearly a century after a Yale historian hacked his way through mountainous jungle to become the first foreigner to reach the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, Peru is asking the American university to give back the artifacts he took with him.
Hundreds of the ceramics and human bones dug up by expeditions led by Hiram Bingham between 1911 and 1915 went on display at the university's Peabody Museum in late January.
"The government appreciates the exhibit as a way of projecting Peruvian culture and we are seeking an accord that will permit the return of these cultural assets to Peru," Deputy Foreign Minister Manuel Rodriguez said on Wednesday.
The Peabody Museum says the artifacts were added to its collection "by agreement with the Peruvian government".
The government permitted Bingham to take the relics with him but the temporary character of the loan was never discussed, according to Rodriguez. He described initial talks, which began in recent months, as "very positive and constructive".
The Incas ruled Peru from the 1430s until the arrival of the Spaniards in 1532, constructing incredible stone-block cities and roads and developing a highly-organised society that extended from modern-day Colombia to Chile.
The Incas abandoned Machu Picchu around 1545, as Spanish soldiers began to conquer their empire. Residents fled to the Inca capital of Cusco or to the surrounding jungles to survive.
Bingham led three trips that uncovered the majority of the artifacts discovered at Machu Picchu. The objects, which were found in burial chambers, shed light on the sophisticated and diverse life the Incas enjoyed before the Spanish conquest.
The partially reconstructed ruins, 500km south-east of Lima, are South America's top archaeological site, drawing 300 000 foreign visitors each year.
The Machu Picchu exhibit runs until May 4 at the Peabody Museum and will then be transported to Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Denver, Houston and Chicago over a two-year period. Rodriguez said the Peruvian government does not plan to try to stop the exhibition. - Sapa-AP
http://www.iol.co.za/
also read about another affair with Peruvian cultural heritage, and the Kimbell Art Museum ignoring all reasonable request to provide provenance information about a Huari statue recently acquired, thus ignoring a bilateral agreement between the USA and Peru, plus ICOM's Code of Ethics: http://www.museum-security.org/03/022.html
RIKERS GUARD BARES ALL ABOUT ART OF THE STEAL
By MURRAY WEISS, LORENA MONGELLI and ERIC LENKOWITZ
March 7, 2003 -- A Rikers Island correction officer implicated himself and four others in the daring robbery of a Salvador Dali painting from the jail - a heist that was uncovered because they used a different frame for the replacement fake, The Post has learned. The officer told authorities Saturday's theft was concocted as a get-rich- quick scheme, with participants hoping to cash in on the sketch by selling it on the black market for $500,000. But the painting was discovered missing far sooner than they hoped because the officers opted to keep it in its frame and put a replica sketched by one of the guards back with another frame, sources familiar with the informant's story said. The confessing officer, who said he was a reluctant participant and is now fearful of retribution, confirmed investigators' belief that a test-run of the robbery was conducted during a fire drill the night before, sources said. He told investigators the alarm was pulled again the night of the theft. Just before that drill, supervisors cleared a path for the robbery by ordering out staff who weren't in on the job - demanding that one guard who has never taken a lunch break take a break, sources said. The informant said he does not know where the painting was taken after the robbery, sources said.
A spokesman for the Department of Investigation, which is leading the probe, declined to comment. The highest-ranking officer on duty during Saturday's robbery, deputy warden Benny Nuzzo, has had financial woes in the past, his financial records show. He took out a $101,000 loan for his Seldon, L.I., home in June 1998, but was delinquent on payments and was sued by the now-defunct lending house The Money Tree. The suit was scrapped when he made the back payments, sources said. Nuzzo's mother, Grazia, with whom he's lived in Bushwick, Brooklyn, since separating from his wife two years ago, said she hasn't seen her son "since last week." Among other officers investigators would like to speak with is assistant deputy warden Michael Hochhauser, who orchestrated the practice fire drill, and Timothy Pina, a correction officer who is a skilled artist, sources said.
http://www.nypost.com/
From: P Boylan P.Boylan@city.ac.uk
Subject: India's Ayodhya Babri Mosque/Ram Temple Issue: The Complete Coverage
The Indian rediff.com online news service maintains an extensive website of more than a hundred reports and interviews concerning the continuing inter-communal disputes following the destruction by Hindu extremists of the historic Babri Mosque, at Ayodhya, near Lucknow, in December 1992.
See: http://www.rediff.com/news/ayodhya.htm
The rioters and some nationalist politicians claimed that the outstanding Mughal period monument had been built on the site of a Hindu temple marking the birthplace of Ram, the Hindu God. Over the past decade thousands of lives have now been lost directly or indirectly in the associated violence over much of India, most recently in Gujerat State in 2002.
In addition to the Hindu - Moslem tensions, the controversy is provoking bitter political confrontations between secularist parties and the ruling Hindu nationalist BJP Party over what is seem as its challenge to the basic human and religious rights guarantees of the Indian Constitution.
Recent additions to the rediff.com site include: current hearings in the Indian Supreme Court (March 6), the results of a geophysical survey which did not find the supposed earlier temple under the mosque (Feb. 26), and the latest bitter confrontations in the Indian Parliament (Feb. 25).
Patrick Boylan
Library not immune to crime
You may have noticed that the flag was missing from the library's flagpole for a few days last week. We are apparently experiencing a rash of flag thefts on the island recently, which I suspect are the result of someone's opinion of the current political situation. My column last week was about my strong belief in the public library's role in the protection of the right to freedom of speech, but let me say very clearly: theft is theft, and vandalism is vandalism, no matter what the motivation.
It was surprising to me to discover how much is lost through theft from libraries. I am not talking about overdue or lost books or items damaged by accident, but about intentional theft and defacement. Not only are books and other materials taken and never returned, but the incidence of damage such as the cutting out of pages or writing commentary or even crossing passages out in ink, happens quite often, even in this "low-crime" area. Miles Harvey wrote a fascinating book called The Island of Lost Maps, the true story of a man obsessed with rare maps who made his living by slicing them out of library books and selling them to dealers.
An argument can be made for the fact that public library materials belong to the public, and therefore the patron is, in a very real sense, the owner. It is disturbing to me, though, that a few people feel that their needs supersede the needs of all others, and they have the right to destroy or acquire public materials for their own use or purposes. The whole point of the public library is that everyone can use and enjoy the material. The good news is that two island residents have donated replacement flags to the library - many, many thanks. The bad news is that we have had to purchase an anti-theft device for our pole, which will prevent this from happening again. So far I have not seriously considered purchasing a security scanning system for the library - the kind where the books have to be desensitized when they are checked out or an alarm sounds when they are carried out the door. I think the cost in terms of your thinking that we don't trust you would be much higher than the cost of the items we lose. But I think it's important that the community know that it does happen, even here.
http://www.sanjuanislander.com/
David Holt: Convicted Book Thief
The ABAA has succeeded in getting the FBI interested in re-opening an investigation into convicted book thief David Holt. Some years back the ABAA was instrumental in sending Mr. Holt to a federal prison here in the states after he had spent years defrauding the bookselling community. Approximately three years ago he left the U.S. for New Zealand where it is believed he now resides. We are in urgent need of David Holt's current address and telephone number and any other current information regarding Mr. Holt. It would also be extremely useful in knowing Mr. Holt's current whereabouts.
Since his release from prison, Mr. Holt has surfaced dozens of times under various names and organizations attempting to defraud booksellers around the world. His schemes usually have some sort of Russian connection. The ABAA has a file of these many and frequent fraud attempts and the various names and organizations that Mr. Holt has pretended to be. If you have been a victim of book fraud anytime in the past three years, particularly if you sent payment for merchandise to another country (other than your own) and never received the merchandise, please contact the ABAA Security Committee immediately with full details.
We are particularly interested in any names and addresses from Russia or other former Soviet bloc countries. Including details of western union or wire trasnfers to banks or other financial institutions. Names of associates or colleagues, phone and fax numbers, what have you are all desired.
As you should know by now, David Holt has recently surfaced, pretending to be an elderly Swiss antiques dealer, Frederik Buwe. This is yet another attempt to defraud booksellers by David Holt. All of the items he is offering have been digitally pirated from the Bauman Book Company in New York. These new phony Holt/Buwe offerings began surfacing in Australia last week. Since this office has exposed Mr. Holt and his Frederik Buwe fraud, myself and other members of the ABAA who have confronted Holt have been theatened by Mr. Holt both via email and the telephone. In my case, Mr. Holt left me a telephone message stating that he was coming to Salt Lake City to "cut your balls off".
Of a more sinister nature is the disappearance in New York City of ABAA member, Svetlena Aronov. Ms. Aronov disappeared from a busy Manhatten street at approximately 2:30 P.M. on Monday, March 3rd while walking her dog and has not been seen by her family since. There is no known connection between Ms. Aronov and David Holt but the police are investigating as to whether Holt has had any contact with her. Ms. Aronov is Russian and David Holt is known to have spent time in Russia and have many contacts there. He has also perpetrated many of his book frauds from Russia. The timing of Holt's reappearance and Ms. Aronov's disappearance is also disturbing.
If any ILAB member has any possible information regarding David Holt or Svetlana Aronov, please contact the ABAA Security Office immediately.
Thank you for your cooperation,
Ken Sanders, Chair ABAA Security Committee
Ken Sanders Rare Books, ABAA, ILAB 268 South 200 East
Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 Phone: 801-521-3819 Fax: 801-521-2606 ken@dreamgarden.com
Art Looting Inquiries
To the Editor:
In "Panel on Nazi Art Theft Fell Short, Experts Say" (Arts pages, March 3), you report that a former employee of the Presidential Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States claims that, as the commission's research director for art and cultural property, I "obstructed her inquiries into the Metropolitan Museum and others and had blocked her efforts to inquire into Nazi-era transactions by the Wildenstein family." These allegations are untrue.
My work as a scholar has been devoted to exposing Nazi art plundering and to returning looted art to its owners. Although I currently consult for several clients who were victims of Nazi looting, including the Wildensteins, I did not consult for them or any other parties while working for the commission. I had no conflict of interest — not then, not now.
Scholarly integrity requires that historical conclusions be supported by evidence. Had the commission found evidence of the importation of Nazi looted art, I would have insisted that it be pursued vigorously. Had anyone on the commission resisted this pursuit, I would have considered it my professional duty to resign.
JONATHAN PETROPOULOS Claremont, Calif., March 6, 2003 The writer is a professor of European history at Claremont McKenna College.
http://www.nytimes.com/
Theft temporarily closes Earlham art gallery
Wayne County
Leeds Gallery at Earlham College has been temporarily closed after a part of an art exhibit was stolen last weekend. The piece consists of five black, fired ceramic flowers. One of the flowers was taken. The exhibit is "Women in Clay: Indiana Ceramic Invitational 2003." The piece was on loan from the artist.
The incident is being investigated. Earlham officials are asking that anyone with information to call the Fine Arts Department at (765) 983- 1410. The gallery will remain closed until the missing work is recovered.
http://www.pal-item.com/
Da Vinci Among Art Displayed in SF
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- They're priceless treasures guarded with the utmost security and care, but they were once the plunder of war. Museum curator Lynn Orr says, "Art has always been one of the great trophies of war." San Francisco's Palace of the Legion of Honor is exhibiting 70 paintings from Polish collections. Nearly half of them were looted, some by Napoleon, others by the Nazis. Orr says recovering the looted art is a huge task even today. In the past, the Legion of Honor has even discovered some stolen art hanging in the museum. "In the 80s we returned a painting that had been stolen from the Louvre back to the Louvre," says Orr. "So this is an ongoing ethical issue that museums are very much aware of and want to do the right thing." Some of the paintings recovered in the half-century since allied forces defeated Hitler is being hung with precision at the Palace of the Legion of Honor, and the work is painstaking. Polish curators oversaw the installation. The star of the exhibit was delivered in so much secrecy that even staff didn't know when or how it would arrive. It's Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, "Lady with an Ermine." It was personally escorted by Polish curator Janusz Walek. "She travels in business class in the aircraft," Walek explains. "She's the most privileged painting in the world." The painting is so valuable, the art world can't even put a price on it. It's one of only a handful of authentic da Vinci paintings that still exist. In fact, this is the first time a da Vinci has ever hung in a California museum. "Lady with an Ermine" has had a tumultuous past. It was painted by da Vinci in 1490, but it soon disappeared for three centuries. It resurfaced in Italy and was purchased by the Czartoryska royal Polish family. The painting became Hitler's obsession. Even before World War II, Hitler drew up a list of paintings he wanted to grab. And among the top three: da Vinci's "Lady with an Ermine." The Nazis stole it in the fall of 1939, the moment Germany invaded Poland. Nazi, Hans Franc, displayed it in Poland and Berlin.
"At the end of the war it was discovered in his private villa in Bavaria, and then returned to Cracow and to the Czartoryski family," Orr says. The Polish government and the Czartoryska agreed to keep it on public display. Waleck's sole job is to safeguard the painting and to study it. "Maybe it's the first time Leonardo used light for a person," Walek says. Da Vinci's use of light in the painting was revolutionary in his time, and this proves to experts it's really his work. "Lady with an Ermine" is considered by experts as one of the top ten works of art in the world -- a list that doesn't even include the Mona Lisa.
PARIS. Paris’s museums situated along the Seine have been ordered by French Culture Minister, Jean-Jacques Aillagon, to empty their stores to a site in the north of the city because of the threat of flooding. The evacuation, estimated at €5.4 million, will put many museums out of action for a long time. Mr Aillagon described the move as “the most important movement of works of art since 1940”. http://81.112.115.148/allemandi/TAN/news/article.asp?idart=10918
ALL THE QUEEN’S TREASURES: AN ANATOMY
LONDON. The Royal Collection is a unique institution, the world’s last great dynastic collection to survive in active royal ownership. The Queen owns the collection, but not as a private individual, and she must pass it on to her successor as Sovereign, so it does not belong to her in a conventional sense. Many of its finest objects are now on view, yet it receives no government funding. It is, effectively, a public collection which is privately owned. The Art Newspaper has put the spotlight on how it is run and financed http://81.112.115.148/allemandi/TAN/news/article.asp?idart=10917
BRITAIN MAY LOSE OMAI (TWICE) AND AN EXQUISITE RAPHAEL
LONDON. Britain’s two major galleries are both trying to raise massive sums to save masterpieces threatened with export, Raphael’s “Madonna of the pinks” and Reynolds’s portrait of Omai. To add to the complications, The Art Newspaper has learned than London’s National Portrait Gallery (NPG) may soon face the challenge of trying to buy William Parry’s portrait of Sir Joseph Banks with Omai and Dr Solander. http://81.112.115.148/allemandi/TAN/news/article.asp?idart=10916
A GOLDEN AGE OF PHILANTHROPHY
TORONTO. Joey and Toby Tanenbaum, the Toronto-based collectors, are to donate the bulk of their 19th-century collection of European works of art to the Art Gallery of Hamilton (AGH), Canada’s third largest art gallery. The collection has been valued by the Cultural Property Review Board in Ottawa, which estimates it to be worth between $49-59 million (CDN$75-90 million). It includes 211 works by artists such as John Singer Sargent, Gustave Doré, Antoine Vollon, Jean Léon Gérôme and James Tissot. The donation will be displayed in the museum when its refurbishment is complete in April 2005. http://81.112.115.148/allemandi/TAN/news/article.asp?idart=10915
SNOOPING, PRELATICAL KEEPERS AND SMALL WINKIES
John Harris has already written a book devoted to a lifetime spent prowling around the historic houses of England (iNo voice from the hall/i, 1998). His second volume, iEchoing voices/i, is also about houses, but, even more, it is about people. Mr Harris talks about them with affection, sometimes tinged with malice—a bit of healthy gossip is the spice of life, particularly for those of us who have devoted our lives to the study of furniture, architecture, gardens and paintings. http://81.112.115.148/allemandi/TAN/news/article.asp?idart=10914
Anna Somers Cocks, Editor contact@theartnewspaper.com
The Art Newspaper 70 South Lambeth Road London SW8 1RL UK> tel +44(0)207 735 3331 fax +44(0)207 735 3332 http://81.112.115.148