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July 4, 2014

Friday, July 04, 2014 - ,, No comments

Criminal complaint in Germany alleges art advisor defrauded client

Julia Michalska reported July 2 for The Art Newspaper "Fraud investigation into German art advisor widens" that a 24-page criminal complaint alleges that Helge Achenbach 'defrauding the late Aldi-supermarket heir [and Trader Joe's] and art collector Berthold Albrecht of €18m'.

Lisa Contag for ArtInfo reported in "German Art Consultant Helge Achenbach Arrested Due to Fraud Allegations" on June 24th that Achenbach's arrest followed allegations by the state attorney of the city of Eissen for 'overpricing art and vintage cars he purchased for collectors':
German newspapers Bild and Die Welt have reported that fraud allegations were made by the heirs of Berthold Albrecht, one of the founders of the German discount supermarket chain Aldi, who was one of Achenbach’s most important clients until his death in 2012.

July 3, 2014

Thursday, July 03, 2014 - ,,,,, No comments

"The Gurlitt Case -- An Inside View From Christopher A. Marinello, Lawyer and Representative for the Heirs of Paul Rosenberg" presented at ARCA's Sixth Annual Interdisciplinary Art Crime Conference on June 28

Matisse, Femme Assise,
Paul Rosenberg Archive
by Catherine Schofield Sezgin, ARCA Blog Editor-in-Chief

Amelia, Umbria -- Following Duncan Chappell and Saskia Hufnagel’s analysis of the legal issues involved in the controversy over the art collection previously in possession of the now deceased Cornelius Gurlitt, Christopher A. Marinello, a lawyer and the founder of Art Recovery International, spoke on representing the heirs of Paul Rosenberg in their efforts to recover Henri Matisse’s painting Femme Assise found in Mr. Gurlitt's Munich apartment and looted from Paul Rosenberg by the Nazis in 1940 (see information regarding the Task Force's decision here).

Chris Marinello discussed the company’s new Art Claim Database, which he said aims to become the world’s largest and technologically advanced private database of stolen, looted, and otherwise tainted works of art.  Based in London, Marinello said he has recovered and resolved title disputes involving over $350 million worth of artwork and offers free services to law enforcement, governments, and non-profit museums.

The heirs of Paul Rosenberg are still searching for 59 of the 400 paintings that were looted from the Paul Rosenberg Gallery in Paris which included works by Picasso, Matisse, and Braque, all close friends of the Jewish dealer. [Information on The Paul Rosenberg Archives housed at The Museum of Modern Art in New York is available here. The family business moved from selling antiques in the late 19th century to Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works.]

Christopher Marinello in Amelia
Marinello's presentation included details of events after news of the Gurlitt "trove" was released to the public by Focus Magazine in November 2013. Marinello explained how his team of researchers quickly assembled a comprehensive analysis of the Rosenberg claim for the Matisse painting with supporting documentation after an image of Femme Assise appeared in the magazine.

Marinello criticized German authorities in their handling of this most recent discovery of long lost Nazi looted artwork but praised the efforts of the individual researchers who make up the “Task Force” faced with the herculean task of reviewing the provenance of the Gurlitt pictures.  
  
Despite the fact that German law offered little or no protection to his clients and other heirs of Holocaust claimants, Marinello explained that some of his strategy in the Gurlitt matter included direct contact with Cornelius Gurlitt himself. Marinello said that throughout the discussions that took place with Mr. Gurlitt’s lawyers, he refused to accept anything other that unconditional restitution of the looted Matisse. Marinello said that an unconditional release and restitution agreement negotiated with Mr. Gurlitt’s lawyers in late March was put on hold after an unusual series of events interfered with the execution of that agreement. The upheaval in Gurlitt’s legal team and the Task Force’s consideration of a competing, but ultimately fraudulent claim to the Rosenberg Matisse delayed matters long enough to see the death of the Cornelius Gurlitt, Marinello explained.

In an apparent snub of Bavarian officials, Marinello said, Gurlitt left his pictures to the Kunstmuseum in Bern, Switzerland which has publicly pledged to return all looted works of art to their rightful owners.

Without revealing his current strategy, Marinello explained that he has been in contact with the museum in Bern and the German Probate Court and is confident that the Matisse will be restituted to the Rosenberg heirs in the next few months.

A three-time returning speaker at ARCA, Chris thanked conference organizers for developing a program that allows for spirited intellectual debate of important cultural property issues in a relaxed and friendly environment.

Thursday, July 03, 2014 - ,,, No comments

Gurlitt Art Collection: Task force declares Matisse work was stolen from Paul Rosenberg and should be returned to his heirs by the heirs of Cornelius Gurlitt in accordance with the principles of the Washington Declaration

Julia Michalska reported for The Art Newspaper on June 11 in "Matisse painting in Gurlitt Hoard was Nazi loot, researchers find" that the painting by Henri Matisse titled Femme Assise (1921) had likely once belonged to Paul Rosenberg, a Jewish art dealer in Paris until the Nazi Occupation in 1940:
Ingeborg Berggreen Merkel, the head of the task force, said in a press statement released today: “Even though it could not be documented with absolute certainty how the work came into [Cornelius Gurlitt’s father] Hildebrand Gurlitt’s possession, the task force has concluded that the work is Nazi loot and was taken from its rightful owner Paul Rosenberg.” Merkel added that the final decision on what will happen to the painting “lies in the hands of the heirs of Cornelius Gurlitt, who, shortly before his death, committed himself to returning looted works in line with the Washington Principles. This commitment also binds his heirs”.
According to the Lost Art Internet Database website, the "Schwabing Art Trove" (named after the neighborhood where Cornelius Gurlitt resided) Task Force is examining the ownership of 590 works that may have been "confiscated" by the Nazis.

Here's a link to the the press release issued in German.

For further information on the Gurlitt case, the Central Registry of Information on Looted Cultural Property (1933-1945) you may go here on their website.

June 30, 2014

Monday, June 30, 2014 - ,,,, No comments

His Highness Sisowath Ravivaddhana Monipong presented "The Duryodhana, the Balarama and the Bhima: a Cambodian perspective on the return of three pre-Angkorian sandstone statues from Prasat Chen at the Koh Ker temple complex" at ARCA's Sixth Annual Interdisciplinary Art Crime Conference

These photos were provided by M. Bertrand Porte, French
School for Asian Arts (EFEO), who is the head of the
restoration workshop of the National Museum in
Phnom Penh.
His Highness Sisowath Ravivaddhana Monipong of Cambodia presented "The Duryodhana, the Balarama and the Bhima: a Cambodian perspective on the return of three pre-Angkorian sandstone statues from Prasat Chen at the Koh Ker temple complex" at ARCA's Sixth Annual Interdisciplinary Art Crime Conference.

After apologizing for his accented English (he explained that he usually delivers his talks in French or Italian), he showed a video of archaeologist and cultural property lawyer Tess Davis who for the last decade has documented the plunder of Cambodia's ancient temples and worked for the return of the country's looted antiquities.

The Prince told the audience:
In Cambodia the preservation of the archeological patrimony has become one of the main topics discussed among members of the local intelligensia, but it is a recent phenomenon and it occurs mostly in western-influenced environments. The will of the Royal Governement is to educate in the most accessible way, to make people understand how sacred and holy these artcrafts are in our patrimony as Cambodians, and moreover, as survivors of a genocide, during which art and culture were cancelled. Sculpture schools, archeological trainings and preservation technique lessons are improving in quality and quantity all over the Kingdom. Little by little, more and more people are being educated to the duty to preserve and defend our cultural patrimony. Nevertheless, the wounds of war, poverty and the powerful groups sponsoring lootings and international art traffic are still prevailing and as long as there will be such a taste for Khmer Antiques, we will not be able to eradicate this sadly human lust for money.
Here's a link to Tess Davis' project at Trafficking Culture and another link to an article, "Temple Looting in Cambodia: Anatomy of a Statue Trafficking Network", co-written with Simon Mackenzie and published in the British Journal of Criminology.

His Highness Prince Sisowath Ravivaddhana Monipong, was born in Phnom Penh in 1970; has been living mainly in Italy, in Rome, since 1997. Educated in France, holds a Master of Arts in Contemporary British Literature; founded in 1992 the Institute of the Royal Household of Cambodia with Professor Jacques Népote (CNRS). Recognised specialist of the history and the culture of Cambodia, has published books and articles regarding the social structures of Cambodia and the genealogy of the Khmer Royal Family. After a career as sales officer in various multinational private companies such as IBM and ACCOR, has collaborated as a Programme Officer and Consultant for many years with the United Nations (WFP, FAO & IFAD) and private sector with interests in Southeast Asia; has been for many years representative of the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism for Italy. You may follow him at his blog here: "Ravivaddhana Sisowath: Never Complain, Never Explain".

Monday, June 30, 2014 - ,,,,, No comments

University of Glasgow's Simon MacKenzie received Eleanor and Anthony Vallombroso Award for Excellence in Art Crime Scholarship for his work on the Trafficking Culture project

Noah Charney (left) and Simon Mackenzie (right) in Amelia
by Catherine Sezgin, ARCA Blog Editor

 AMELIA - ARCA Founder Noah Charney presented the 2014 Eleanor and Anthony Vallombroso Award for Excellence in Art Crime Scholarship to Simon MacKenzie, Trafficking Culture project at The University of Glasgow,  at ARCA's Sixth Annual Interdisciplinary Art Crime Conference.

"I would like to thank ARCA for the award and my colleagues and graduate students at the University of Glasgow for their support and their individual contributions to the great research team we now have," Simon Mackenzie said about the award. "It's really valuable to receive peer recognition for research and I take this award as encouragement to continue with our efforts in the Trafficking Culture project to produce systematic and reliable empirical work in support of the development of crime reduction policies in this field."

Simon Mackenzie discussing Temple Looting in Cambodia
Upon receipt of the award, Professor Mackenzie invited attendees to visit the Trafficking Culture website and download the article on "Temple Looting in Cambodia: Anatomy of a Trafficking Network" (free for a limited time) via the British Journal of Criminology website here.

You may read more about Professor Mackenzie here.
Past winners: Norman Palmer (2009), Larry Rothfield (2010), Neil Brodie (2011), Jason Felch and Ralph Frammolino (Jointly – 2012), Duncan Chappell (2013).

June 29, 2014

Sunday, June 29, 2014 - No comments

ARCA '14 Art Crime Conference: Program for second (and last) day

Amelia, Umbria - Sunday, June 24

9:00 -10:00 am:  The Mental Condition and its Role in Art Crime
Panel chaired by Liza Weber, ARCA 2014 participant

‘It’s beyond my control’  An historic and psychiatric investigation into the claim of bibliomania
Anna Knutsson MA (Hon) University of St. Andrews
Research Editor Smith Library

Art Vandalism from a Forensic Behavioral Perspective
Frans Koenraadt PhD
Professor, Universiteit Utrecht, Willem Pompe Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology

QA

10:00 – 11:15 am:  Cultural Heritage and Armed Conflict, Reflections from Past and Present
Panel chaired by Lynda Albertson, ARCA CEO

File Zadar:  New insights on art works taken from Zadar to Italy during World War II
Antonija Mlikota, PhD University of Zagreb
Assistant Professor of Art History, University of Zadar

IMCuRWG Blue Shield cultural assessment mission to Timbuktu 
Joris Kila, PhD University of Amsterdam
Chairman of the ‘International Military Cultural Resources Work Group’ (IMCuRWG).
Universität Wien, Kompetenzzentrum Kulturelles Erbe und Kulturgüterschutz, Universität Wien, Alois-Musil-Center für Orientalische Archäologie, U.S. AFRICOM

A modern look at an Eternal Problem: Sixty years after the creation of the 1954 Hague Convention 
Cinnamon Stephens, JD
Esquire

QA

11:15 am: Coffee Break

11:30 am-12:45 pm: Smart Collecting and Connoisseurship and When Art is Stolen
Panel chaired by Noah Charney, ARCA President and Chief Editor, The Journal of Art Crime

What’s wrong with this picture?  Standards and issues of connoisseurship
Tanya Pia Starrett, MA HONS LLB, University of Glasgow
Solicitor

Cross-border Collecting in the XXI Century:  Comparative Law Issues
Massimo Sterpi, Avvocato
Partner, Studio Legale Jacobacci & Associati

Bicycles vs. Rembrandt
Martin Finkelnberg
Head of the Art and Antiques Crime Unit
National Criminal Intelligence Division, The Netherlands

QA

12:45 – 1:05 pm: Key Note Closing – A look to the future

Is International Law for the Protection of Artistic Freedom Adequate?
Eleni Tokmakidou – Moschouri, PhD University of Manchester
MJur University of Birmingham
Attorney at Law at the Supreme Court of Greece

1:05 – 1:30 pm: Closing Remarks

June 28, 2014

Saturday, June 28, 2014 - , No comments

ARCA '14 Art Crime Conference Begins Now

The garden of Palazzo Farrattini - the morning after
by Catherine Schofield Sezgin, ARCA Blog Editor-in-chief

Palazzo Farrattini, Amelia -- A cocktail party in the garden of the 500-year-old Palazzo Farrattini opened ARCA's sixth annual Interdisciplinary Art Crime Conference last night. The conference has begun. Here's today's program:

Saturday, June 28 (Sala Boccarrini)
8:15-9:00 am: Welcome and Registration

9:00-9:10 am: Conference Opening, Noah Charney, ARCA President

9:10 -11:00 am: Highlights from Recent US and EU Investigations Panel
Chair: Judge Arthur Tompkins, ARCA Professor District Court Judge in New Zealand

The Fall of the House of Knoedler: Fakes, Deception and Naiveté
 James C Moore, Esq Arbitrator and mediator of commercial disputes Formerly, partner and trial lawyer with large New York law firm and President of New York State Bar Association

Hello Dalí: Anatomy of a Modern Day Art Theft Investigation
Jordan Arnold Esq. K2 Intelligence Former Assistant District Attorney and Head, Financial Intelligence Unit New York County District Attorney's Office QA

The Gurlitt Case: German and International Responses to the Legal and Ethical Questions to Ownership Rights in Looting Cases
 Duncan Chappell, PhD Lawyer and Criminologist, Faculty of Law at the University of Sydney Saskia Hufnagel, PhD Lecturer in Criminal Law, Queen Mary University of London Rechtsanwalt - Fachanwalt Strafrecht, Hufnagel und Partner

The Gurlitt Case: An Inside View from the Lawyer and Representative of the Heirs of Paul Rosenberg
Chris Marinello Director and Founder, Art Recovery International

11:00 am: Coffee Break

11:15 am – 12:30 pm: The Many Faces of the Illegal Heritage Trade
Panel Chair: Christos Tsirogiannis PhD., ARCA Writer in Residence, Forensic Archaeologist, Illicit antiquities researcher, University of Cambridge

Papyri, Collectors and the Antiquities Market: a Survey and Some Questions
Roberta Mazza, PhD University of Bologna Lecturer (Assistant Professor), Classics and Ancient History University of Manchester Research Fellow, John Rylands Research Institute John Rylands Library

Using Open-Source Data to Identify Participation in the Illicit Antiquities Trade: A Case Study on the Intercommunal Conflict in Cyprus, 1963-1974
Sam Hardy, DPhil University of Sussex Illicit antiquities trade researcher Research Associate, Centre for Applied Archaeology University College London

The Dikmen Conspiracy: The Illicit Removal, Journey and Trade of Looted Ecclesiastical Antiquities from Occupied Cyprus
Christiana O'Connell-Schizas, LLB University of Kent LPC University of Law, Baker & McKenzie, Riyadh

12:30 – 1:30 pm: Lunch Break in the Cloister

1:30– 3:00 pm: The Vulnerabilities of Sacred Art In situ: Yesterday and Today Panel
Chair: Lynda Albertson, ARCA CEO

The Theft and Ransom of Caravaggio’s “St. Jerome Writing” from the Co-Cathedral of St. John
Rev. Dr. Marius Zerafa, O.P. S.T.L., Lect. Th., A.R. Hist. S., Dr. Sc.Soc Founder of the Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta, Malta, Former Curator and Director of the Malta Museums

Fighting the Thieves in Italian Churches
Judith Harris, Journalist (ARTnews; www.i-italy.org) Author, Pompeii Awakened, The Monster in the Closet

Evacuate the objects from vulnerable religious sites? No, protect them in situ!
Stéphane Théfo Police Officer and Project Manager, INTERPOL General Secretariat, Office of Legal Affairs

3:15 pm: Coffee Break

3:30 – 5:00 pm: The Genuine Article: Fakes and Forgeries and the Art of Deception Panel Chair: Catherine Sezgin, ARCA Blog Editor

Would the real Mr. Goldie please stand up?
Penelope Jackson M. Phil, University of Queensland, MA University of Auckland Director, Tauranga Art Gallery Toi Tauranga, New Zealand

Forgery and Offenses Resembling Forgery
Susan Douglas, PhD Concordia University Lecturer (Assistant Professor) Contemporary Art and Theory University of Guelph, ARCA Writer-in-Residence 2013

In the Red Corner: “Connoisseurship and Art History”, and the Blue Corner: “Scientific Testing and Analysis” – Who’s right in determining Authenticity?
Toby Bull, Senior Inspector of Police, Hong Kong Police Force Founder, TrackArt (Art Risk Consultancy), Hong Kong

5:00 – 5:30 pm: Looting, Litigation and Repatriation - Panel chaired by Noah Charney, ARCA President and Chief Editor, The Journal of Art Crime

Italian Culture in the Courts: The fate of L'atleta di Fano and Trafficked antiquities vs. Tax obligations Stefano Alessandrini, ARCA Lecturer, Consultant to Il Ministero per i Beni Culturali e Ambientali – Rome

The Duryodhana, the Balarama and the Bhima: a Cambodian perspective on the return of three pre-Angkorian sandstone statues from Prasat Chen at the Koh Ker temple complex
His Highness Sisowath Ravivaddhana Monipong of Cambodia

5:45 – 6:30 pm: 2014 ARCA Awards presented by ARCA founder, Noah Charney and ARCA CEO Lynda Albertson

8:00 pm: Conference Dinner at La Locanda Restaurant

June 27, 2014

June 26, 2014

Thursday, June 26, 2014 - ,,,,,, No comments

Report from ARCA Amelia '14: Inside the lecture hall with criminologist Marc Balcells amongst medieval festivities in Amelia

The end of Marc's class.  Photo by S. Kelley-Bell
By Summer Tappmeyer, ARCA '13 graduate and ‘14 intern

Three weeks of being in Italy has flown by so quickly! We have had such a spectacular time so far, and it’s not even halfway through the program. The third week started off with Marc Balcells’ course: “Breitwiesers, Medicis, Beltracchis, Gurlitts and Other Shady Artsy Characters: A Course on How to Analyze Their Crimes Empirically.” Marc had a few adventures in travel in order to make it to Amelia: coming from New York where he has been teaching at John Jay College of Law, with a brief stopover in Spain to visit family, and then finally settling into the city for the beginning of his course. Despite Marc’s long journey to Amelia, he started off his class with a bang. An ARCA 2011 alumnus, Marc has unique insights into student life. It was a pleasant surprise to have someone who has previously walked in our shoes only a few years ago. 

This criminology course focused on the theoretical framework of the subject, as well as gave insight into the different foundations of the Classical, Positivist, and Critical school of thinking. Marc proved to be a fascinating professor, as he engaged the class in discussions and told us stories using his animated personality to bring those stories to life. One of the greatest aspects of this course is that you do not have to have a criminology background. Marc was adamant about us being able to understand the “nuts and bolts” of the essentials of criminology and was able to simplify information in a way that allowed the students to understand the concepts and theories. Overall, Marc was able to command and capture the attention of his audience, making us all feel incredibly comfortable to engage in scholarly debates throughout the duration of his course.

The Champion of Volterra.
Photo by L. Albertson
The city of Amelia was able to cool off this week, due to the plush amount of rain it received during the third week of our stay. We appreciated the break from the heat, but that did not leave much time for extracurricular activities and a few of our weekly adventures had to be postponed. Most students enjoyed the pitter-patter of rain as they slept at night though, and by the weekend the rain was gone and scheduled activities continued. As soon as Marc’s class ended on Friday, the ARCA 2014 class went across the street to “Park Bar” and savored a refreshing afternoon spritzer. Since this was the professor’s last evening in Amelia, we all gathered around a few tables to learn more about Marc and his experience as a student with ARCA three years ago. Saturday and Sunday consisted of rest and relaxation. A few students went on a shopping spree in Rome, others enjoyed a rare chance to see none other than the Rolling Stones play in Rome at Circo Massimo.

Amelia hosted a medieval crossbow competition Saturday and Sunday for everyone to enjoy. The Balestra Antica da Banco is the national championship and offered everything from costumes to the special seated crossbows. Amelia also celebrated a religious holiday known as Corpus Domini. This celebration included a procession through the town on a bed of flowers.

We are looking forward to welcoming Noah Charney and his new course, "Art Forgers and Thieves", this week.

This weekend the ARCA 2014 Conference will bring together students and professionals in two days of panels on art crimes ranging from Nazi-looted art to stolen antiquities in Cyprus and Cambodia.

Thursday, June 26, 2014 - ,, No comments

ARCA '14 Conference, Panel VIII: Smart Collecting and Connoisseurship and When Art is Stolen

Panel VIII: Smart Collecting and Connoisseurship and When Art is Stolen

What’s wrong with this picture? Standards and issues of connoisseurship
Tanya Pia Starrett, MA HONS LLB, University of Glasgow
Solicitor

Crossborder Collecting in the XXI Century: Comparative Law Issues
Massimo Sterpi, Avvocato
Partner, Studio Legale Jacobacci & Associati 

Bicycles vs. Rembrandt
Martin Finkelnberg
Head of the Art and Antiques Crime Unit


National Criminal Intelligence Division, The Netherlands

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