Digging In: The Latest from Antiquities Coalition
Quarterly Highlights
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In case you missed it, the Antiquities Coalition now shares quarterly newsletters to track our progress in our fight to combat looting and keep you updated on our work in the U.S. and abroad.
Our Quarter 1 Newsletter shone a spotlight on the U.S. art market as a sanctions black hole. Paired with world news of fine art seizures in London and a Hungarian ex-diplomat’s collection of suspect Asian antiquities, trends in early 2024 prove that weak art market regulation in the U.S. and abroad remains a critical threat to fair trade and national security.
Following recent visits to Bahrain and Italy last quarter to celebrate recent successes with global partners and lay the groundwork for upcoming collaborations, the Antiquities Coalition sustained positive momentum this quarter.
Check out highlights from Quarter 2 below!
Spotlight
🕰️ Garden of Time: Met Gala Looks vs. Loot
On May 6, the elite of the fashion and artistic world graced the red carpet for the annual Met Gala, held, as customary, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met). The Antiquities Coalition marked the occasion with the second annual Looks vs. Loot – an ongoing initiative highlighting the rampant illicit trade in antiquities. This is an homage to cultural masterpieces returned from America’s largest art collection – the Met – which are symbolically represented through the fashion on display at the Gala.
Today’s museums are responsible for setting legal and ethical standards for all who operate within the art market. In recent months, institutions like the Met have taken strides to improve policies and practices on ancient art and artifacts, increasing transparency and due diligence surrounding its collection. As the art market strives for greater transparency, the Antiquities Coalition celebrates these recent steps taken by the Met and looks forward to future steps the institution will take to right past actions.
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🇦🇪 AC Co-Facilitates Training on Countering Cultural Heritage Crime in the UAE
In June of 2024, the Antiquities Coalition was honored to partner with the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations and the Abu Dhabi Police to implement a joint two-day workshop on the Preservation of Cultural Property, Art, and Antiquities.
Making up 42% of the global art market, the United States is in a unique position to make a difference in the fight against cultural racketeering. However, players such as the Gulf States are quickly growing their roles with the creation of new and prominent museums, a booming art market, and increasing cultural tourism. In particular, the United Arab Emirates is well-positioned to become a leader in the global fight against the illicit trafficking of art and artifacts.
Confronting cultural racketeering requires working across disciplines, industries, the public and private sectors, and national borders. In recognition of this global challenge, the workshop covered understanding the problem of looting and trafficking, how it happens, and why; the legal framework that addresses these crimes; how to investigate these crimes from beginning to end; and how to work with SMEs and the heritage sector.
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🏛️ Museums and Creativity Take Center Stage in China-Europe-America Dialogue
The Antiquities Coalition joined global leaders at the fourth China-Europe-America (CEA) Museums Cooperation Dialogue to discuss museums’ essential role in safeguarding heritage. AC Founder and Chairman, Deborah Lehr, and Executive Director Tess Davis shared examples from around the world demonstrating the creative potential of museums.
“Culture is a fundamental source of creativity. And as stewards of culture, museums have a unique ability to harness creativity. They also have a responsibility to safeguard our shared heritage from threats.” — AC Chairman and Founder Deborah Lehr
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In Case You Missed It
👔 Careers in Cultural Heritage
Antiquities Coalition’s Director of Programs Helena Arose and Legal Consultant Liz Fraccaro shared their career experience and advice in a webinar hosted by the American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR)’s Early Career Scholars Committee. Watch their talk here or apply to our internship program to get first-hand experience in the fight against looting.
⚖️ UN Leaders Convene in NYC to Combat Crimes in Cultural Property
In June, the Mission of Norway to the UN, the Mission of France to the UN, the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, UNESCO, and The Soufan Center (TSC) held a convening in New York City to discuss “Investigating and Prosecuting the Destruction, Looting and Illicit Trade of Cultural Property Linked to Terrorism.” Together with representatives from the Penn Cultural Heritage Center, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Carabinieri TPC, the University of Kufa, and the Clooney Foundation for Justice, speakers highlight the need for prosecution for these serious crimes that threaten our shared heritage, national economies, and global security.
🏜️ Art Market Called “Wild West” of Regulatory World
The American art market is the largest unregulated market in the world, making it vulnerable to a wide range of financial crimes. Deborah Lehr, Founder and Chairman of the Antiquities Coalition, was featured in John Byrne’s latest article on how weak regulations in the art world continue to undermine anti-money laundering (AML) policy, which discusses the need to close the U.S. art market to financial crimes.
Our Financial Crimes Task Force allies cultural heritage, financial, and legal experts to address ongoing financial crimes related to the art market. For further recommendations, see our report on Reframing U.S. Policy on the Art Market: Recommendations for Combating Financial Crimes.
Features from Around the World
🎷 Connecting Archaeologists and Law Enforcement in the Big Easy
At the 89th Society for American Archeology Annual Meeting held in New Orleans, the Antiquities Coalition hosted a forum with American archaeologists about how to report their field knowledge of looting to support Cultural Property Agreements that prevent looted and stolen antiquities and artifacts from entering the American art market.
At the mouth of the Mississippi Delta, New Orleans is the heart of the world’s largest port complex. On the sidelines of the conference, the AC hosted a roundtable of archaeologists, academics, and other subject matter experts with local law enforcement representatives to discuss methods of collaboration.
Don’t want to wait for quarterly updates? You can follow the Antiquities Coalition on our social channels (X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram) for the latest news and developments in the fight to combat looting.