PRESS KIT I December 2015

Transcription

1 PRESS KIT I December 2015 Emergency Red List of Libyan Cultural Objects at Risk and the Publication of ICOM s International Observatory on Illicit Traffic in Cultural Goods: Countering Illicit Traffic in Cultural Goods - The Global Challenge of Protecting the World s Heritage PRESS CONTACTS Pierre Laporte Communication Laurent Jourdren / Marie Roy info@pierre-laporte.com T (0) ICOM Yu Zhang, Head of Communication Department zhang@icom.museum

2 Since its creation almost 70 years ago, the conservation of cultural heritage has been central to ICOM s thinking and action across its global network. Prof. Dr Hans-Martin Hinz, ICOM President Every day, cultural objects disappear. Stolen from their place of conservation whether pilfered from a museum or, as is most often the case, ripped out of an archaeological site they embark on the road often travelled by illicit antiquities. A road we are still trying to map with more precision. France Desmarais, Director of Programmes and Partnerships at the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Cover: Marble funerary veiled female bust, Cyrene, Hellenistic period (1st c. BC), 128 x 62 cm. Università Roma Tre Archaeological Mission in Libya / Fabian Baroni; Courtesy of ICOM Red List

3 CONTENTS A. What is the illicit traffic in cultural goods? B. ICOM s commitment to the fight against the illicit traffic in cultural goods C The Red Lists: practical tools for identifying trafficked objects D. The ICOM Emergency Red List of Libyan Cultural Objects at Risk E. ICOM s International Observatory on Illicit Traffic in Cultural Goods: the world s first cooperative platform F. The publication: "Countering Illicit Traffic in Cultural Goods - The Global Challenge of Protecting the World s Heritage"...09 View of southwest corner of the temple of Zeus, Cyrene Loïc Mazou/Mission Archéologique Française de Libye

4 A. WHAT IS THE ILLICIT TRAFFIC IN CULTURAL GOODS? 01 A RECOGNISED BUT UNQUANTIFIABLE PRACTICE Though recognised as an established and widespread practice, the illicit traffic in cultural goods is hard to quantify. How many objects are trafficked? What is their worth? These questions have yet to find a specific answer. However, experts agree that illicit traffic is a lucrative criminal activity, due to low risk and high profit margins, and a transnational crime affecting both developed and developing countries. Illicit traffic concerns both catalogued objects (those stolen from museums) and, to a greater extent, a variety of objects ranging from items found in clandestine archaeological excavations to pieces taken during the destruction of historic monuments and objects that are part of underwater heritage a vast, unprotected field. A CRIME WITH DIFFERENT FORMS, CARRIED OUT BY MULTIPLE PARTIES The illicit traffic in cultural goods involves several different parties, from the supplier to the buyer, and covers a wide range of practices that depend on the geographic, socio-economic and political contexts of the countries involved: - thefts from museums, monuments, religious sites and other public or privately held places of conservation - illicit excavations of archaeological objects, including underwater excavations - removal of cultural property during armed conflicts or military occupation - illicit export and import of cultural property - illegal transfer of ownership of cultural property (sale, purchase, assumption of mortgage debt, exchange, donation or legacy) - production, trade and use of forged documentation - traffic of fake or forged cultural property (source: There is no typical illicit traffic route. The final destination of trafficked objects varies depending on the suppliers (local populations, compulsive thieves, organised crime) and buyers (tourists, private collectors looking for specific pieces, galleries, art dealers and places of conservation). Stolen objects can disappear for years or even decades before reappearing on the market with false documentation of an invented (or fictional) provenance. Limestone funerary relief with portrait busts, Ghirza Southern necropolis, Late Roman period (4th c. AD), 73 x 47 x 24.5 cm. Università Roma Tre Archaeological Mission in Libya / Fabian Baroni, Courtesy of ICOM Red List View of the Forum of Septimius Severus, Leptis Magna, 3rd century AD Loïc Mazou/Mission Archéologique Française de Libye

5 WHAT IS THE ILLICIT TRAFFIC IN CULTURAL GOODS? THESE PRACTICES ARE CONDEMNED BY MULTIPLE HERITAGE PROTECTION INSTRUMENTS, in particular: - The Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (The Hague, 14 May 1954), the first international treaty dedicated to the protection of cultural heritage in the event of war, highlighting the idea of the common heritage of humanity - The UNESCO Convention of 14 November 1970 on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property - The UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects (Rome, 1995) These protective conventions apply only to countries that have ratified them. They are therefore not universal, and there are a number of obstacles to their enforcement: - legal obstacles (for example: the large majority of potential destination countries have not ratified the UNIDROIT Convention, and a number of countries have not passed any legislation to permit the effective enforcement of the 1970 UNESCO Convention) - operational obstacles (lack of oversight) and a lack of awareness (collecting antiquities is not seen as a potentially criminal activity, not to mention the clear conscience of buyers who think they are saving objects at risk) 02 View of the tetrapyle arch of Septimius Severus, Leptis Magna, 3rd century AD Loïc Mazou/Mission Archéologique Française de Libye View of the Roman market, Leptis Magna, 3rd century AD Loïc Mazou/Mission Archéologique Française de Libye

6 B. ICOM S COMMITMENT TO THE FIGHT AGAINST THE ILLICIT TRAFFIC IN CULTURAL GOODS The illicit traffic in cultural goods is not a new practice; however, conflicts in the Middle East (Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Yemen) and Africa (Libya, Mali) have made the problem worse. Entire swathes of cultural heritage have been damaged or destroyed (particularly by ISIS), including the Mosul Museum and the ancient sites of Nineveh, Nimrud and Hatra in Iraq and Palmyra in Syria, feeding the networks through which stolen and looted objects travel. In order to fight illicit traffic, we must constantly adapt to emergency situations and new practices, such as Internet sales. In the face of these challenges, ICOM, which has been committed to the fight against the illicit traffic in cultural goods since it was founded, has developed new tools for gathering information and raising awareness in support of existing national and international laws, including: - The production of Red Lists of Cultural Objects at Risk since The creation of the International Observatory on Illicit Traffic in Cultural Goods in December 2012, a 3-year project on the initiative of ICOM with financial support from the European Commission And, at the end of 2015: - The publication of the Emergency Red List of Libyan Cultural Objects at Risk - The publishing and distribution of Countering Illicit Traffic in Cultural Goods The Global Challenge of Protecting the World s Heritage 03 ICOM 70 years of heritage preservation Created in 1946, ICOM is an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) whose mission is to preserve, conserve and share natural and cultural heritage, present and future, tangible and intangible. With 35,000 members in 137 countries, ICOM constitutes a unique network of museums, experts and professionals. Maintaining formal relations with UNESCO and having a consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), ICOM works in collaboration with organisations such as INTERPOL and the World Customs Organization (WCO) to carry out its public service missions, specifically regarding the fight against illicit traffic in cultural goods and the protection of global cultural heritage in the event of natural disasters or armed conflict. ICOM is one of the four founding organisations of the International Committee of the Blue Shield (ICBS) 1. Museums are doubly concerned by the illicit traffic in cultural goods. As places of conservation, museums are both victims of theft and susceptible to unintentionally acquiring illicitly trafficked objects through purchases, donations or bequests. For this reason, the ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums 2, which all members agree to follow, includes guidelines concerning cultural goods obtained through illegal practices or trade, such as: "No object or specimen should be acquired by purchase, gift, loan, bequest or exchange unless the acquiring museum is satisfied that a valid title is held. Evidence of lawful ownership in a country is not necessarily valid title". 1. The Blue Shield is the symbol used to identify cultural sites protected by the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (Hague Convention, 1954). 2. The ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums was adopted in 1986 and revised in It establishes the values and principles shared by ICOM and the international museum community and sets minimum standards of professional practice and performance for museums and their staff. ICOM Maison de l UNESCO - 1 rue Miollis Paris Cedex 15, France - Tel. : +33 (0) Website: illicit-traffic@icom.museum

7 C. THE RED LISTS: PRACTICAL TOOLS FOR IDENTIFYING TRAFFICKED OBJECTS The Red Lists identify categories of archaeological objects or works of art that are at risk in particularly vulnerable areas of the world in order to prevent their illegal export and sale. 04 A TYPOLOGY OF OBJECTS AT RISK The Red Lists present and describe the types of objects that might be stolen or looted and then illegally sold. To make them easier to identify, the objects are sorted by category (sculptures, vessels, coins, architectural features, etc.) and accompanied by descriptions and annotated photos. The object categories and sub-categories are selected by groups of national and international experts including art historians, archaeologists, curators and other cultural heritage professionals. MORE ABOUT THE RED LISTS - All of the illustrations in the Red Lists are photos of objects from museum collections or archaeological missions. - These illustrations are representative of the types of objects to which particular attention should be paid due to a heightened risk of illegal transfer of ownership. - The Red Lists are meant to be used over the long term, because the objects identified within them remain in demand on the market for many years. CRITERIA FOR PRODUCING A RED LIST - Existence of a known risk. The categories of objects in a Red List must be part of the heritage of a region or country where a risk has been identified. - Protection by legal instruments. The objects included in the list must be protected by national and international laws. - Demand on the art market. Without potential buyers, traffickers have no outlet, so only those objects that meet the two previous criteria and are in demand on the market are included in Red Lists. THE NEED FOR EFFECTIVENESS Red Lists are practical tools. Their layout is designed to make objects easy to identify, particularly for customs officials, with an easyto-use format (a pamphlet that can be posted on a wall), short, simple descriptions and representative images. THE OBJECTIVE: MAKING INFORMATION WIDELY AVAILABLE Red Lists are published in the language of the country in question and in the languages of countries where objects could travel or be put on the market. They are distributed to police and customs agencies through INTERPOL, the WCO and national bodies responsible for heritage protection and also to museums and art dealers. Marble sarcophagus or cinerary urn with swags of leaves, fruits and nuts tied to the horns of bucrania in relief, Ain-el-Selmani (Benghazi), Roman period (ca. AD ), 44.8 x 66 x 44.1 cm. British Museum, London, Courtesy of ICOM Red List Silver tetradrachm coin with the silphium plant (obverse) and a head (reverse), Cyrene, BC, g. Trustees of the British Museum, London, Courtesy of ICOM Red List

8 15 RED LISTS HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED SINCE 2000 Six of those were classified as "Emergency" Red Lists because they concerned countries where cultural heritage had been suddenly placed at risk, either due to a natural disaster (like the earthquake in Haiti in 2010) or armed conflict (Egypt, Iraq, Syria, and now, Libya). "Traditional" Red Lists are produced at the request of an institution or ministry in a country with a known risk to its heritage. In this case, ICOM assesses the situation on the ground to determine the need for heritage protection then decides whether to produce a list. 05 Red List of African Archaeological Objects, 2000 Red List of Latin American Cultural Objects at Risk, 2003 Emergency Red List of Iraqi Antiquities at Risk, 2003 Red List of Afghanistan Antiquities at Risk, 2006 Red List of Peruvian Antiquities at Risk, 2007 Red List of Cambodian Antiquities at Risk, 2009 Red List of Endangered Cultural Objects of Central America and Mexico, 2009 Emergency Red List of Haitian Cultural Objects at Risk, 2010 Red List of Chinese Cultural Objects at Risk, 2010 Red List of Colombian Cultural Objects at Risk, 2010 Emergency Red List of Egyptian Cultural Objects at Risk, 2011 Red List of Dominican Cultural Objects at Risk, 2013 Emergency Red List of Syrian Cultural Objects at Risk, 2013 Emergency Red List of Iraqi Cultural Objects at Risk 2015 update Emergency Red List of Libyan Cultural Objects at Risk, In preparation: Red List of West African Cultural Objects at Risk, with an emergency section dedicated to Mali Emergency Red List of Yemeni Cultural Objects at Risk Red List of South-East European Cultural Objects at Risk The Red Lists can be viewed online: Limestone urn vase with lid, voluted handles, ribbed motifs and an inscription, Tazuit (Homs) necropolis, Roman period (2nd c. AD), 44 x Ø 34.5 cm. Università Roma Tre Archaeological Mission in Libya / Fabian Baroni, Courtesy of ICOM Red List 2. Glass funerary urn, Lepcis Magna, Roman period, 26.5 x 16.3 cm. French Archaeological Mission / Vincent Michel, Courtesy of ICOM Red List 3. Calcite lekythos, Cyrenaica, Greek period (ca BC), H cm. British Museum, London, Courtesy of ICOM Red List 4. Small bronze amphora with Satyre-shaped handles, Wadi er-rsaf (Lepcis Magna) necropolis, Roman period (1st c. AD), 25.5 x Ø 13 cm. Università Roma Tre Archaeological Mission in Libya / Fabian Baroni, Courtesy of ICOM Red List 5. Alabaster lekythos, Cyrenaica, Greek period ( BC), H cm. British Museum, London, Courtesy of ICOM Red List 6. Small pottery hydria with a red design of ivy wreath and bands, Cyrenaica, Hellenistic period ( BC), H 20 cm. British Museum, London, Courtesy of ICOM Red List

9 D. THE EMERGENCY RED LIST OF LIBYAN CULTURAL OBJECTS AT RISK 06 View of the temple of Apollo, Cyrene Loïc Mazou/Mission Archéologique Française de Libye LIBYAN HERITAGE AT RISK With two rival governments one based in Tripoli and the other, recognised by the international community, in Tobrouk the country is in a state of chaos. ISIS has moved from east to west, to Derna, Sirte and Sabratha. French and Italian archaeological missions ceased all activity on the ground in While there is currently no known effort to deliberately erase the past, like in Iraq and Syria, theft, looting and destruction is affecting certain world heritage sites and several Sufi mosques in Tripolitania. ICOM has been monitoring the situation at museums and sites since the beginning of the conflict in February 2011 and supported an in-country assessment in The Emergency Red List of Libyan Cultural Objects at Risk was produced by ICOM with the generous support of the U.S. Department of State, under the scientific direction of Vincent Michel (Director of the French Archaeological Mission in Libya, Université de Poitiers) and a group of 12 other experts from Libya, the United States and a number of European countries. It identifies categories of objects at risk, including funerary sculptures and busts particularly "faceless" or "veiled" female funerary busts typical of Cyrene and objects from the Greek, Punic and Roman periods and the Islamic and Medieval eras, such as coins decorated with the famous silphium. The List is published online and in paper as a resource for customs officials, INTERPOL and the art market and is available in English, French and Arabic. Libya holds thousands of years of ancient history carved in stone at a number of sites of unparalleled value, in addition to the country s five UNESCO World Heritage sites: Cyrene, a Greek colony founded in 631 BC whose large necropolis is under constant threat from modern construction; Leptis Magna, the "Rome of Africa"; Sabratha, a Carthaginian and Roman centre of trade; Tadrart Acacus, a desert in Libya with a number of prehistoric rock art sites dating from 12,000 BC to 100 AD; Ghadames, one of the oldest pre-saharan cities still in existence, raided in 2011.

10 THE EMERGENCY RED LIST OF LIBYAN CULTURAL OBJECTS AT RISK LIST OF EXPERTS Hafed Abdouli, Professor of Islamic History, Sfax University (Tunisia), and former Professor, Misurata University (Libya) Paul Bennett, Head of Mission for the Society for Libyan Studies and Director, Canterbury Archaeological Trust (UK) Laura Buccino, Member of the Archaeological Mission of Roma Tre University (Italy) at Lepcis Magna and Adjunct Professor of Roman Archaeology at the Department of History, Archeology, Geography, Arts and Show, Florence University (Italy) Brian Daniels, Director of Research and Programs, Penn University and Penn Museum (US) Marc-André Haldimann, Associate Professor, Bern University (Switzerland) Peter Higgs, Curator of Greek Sculpture, British Museum (UK) Susan Kane, Professor of Art History and Chair of Classical Archeology, Oberlin College (US) Anna Leone, Professor at the Centre for Roman Cultural Studies, Durham University (UK) Vincent Michel, Director of the French Archaeological Mission in Libya and Lecturer in Ancient Archaeology, Poitiers University (France) Luisa Musso, Director of the Archaeological Mission of Roma Tre University at Lepcis Magna and Professor of Archaeology and Art History, University Roma Tre (Italy) Mustafa Turjman, Chief of Research and Archaeological Excavation Unit, Libyan Department of Antiquities (Libya) Hafed Walda, Libyan Heritage Research Fellow, King s College London (UK) Jerzy Żelazowski, Member of the Polish Archaeological Mission to Ptolemais and Adjunct Professor, Archeological Institute, Warsaw University (Poland) 07 View of an winged Victory over the Agora in Cyrene Loïc Mazou/Mission Archéologique Française de Libye

11 E. THE INTERNATIONAL OBSERVATORY ON ILLICIT TRAFFIC IN CULTURAL GOODS: THE WORLD S FIRST COOPERATIVE PLATFORM Identifying the trade routes, the agents involved and the types of objects targeted is the only way to comprehend the significance of the illegal art and antiquities market. This can only be tackled through transdisciplinary research initiatives, such as that initiated with the Observatory project, as relevant organisations are encouraged to do under the 1970 UNESCO Convention. France Desmarais 08 MEETING THE URGENT NEED TO SHARE INFORMATION The International Observatory on Illicit Traffic in Cultural Goods was created in December 2012 as a three-year project on the initiative of ICOM, with the financial support of the Prevention of and Fight Against Crime Programme of the European Commission s Directorate-General Home Affairs. The Observatory is the fruit of ICOM s long-term involvement in the fight against illicit traffic in cultural property, and is created to serve as a permanent international cooperative platform and network between international organisations, law enforcement agencies, research institutions and other external expert stakeholders. The Observatory is at once a short-, mediumand long-term project due to the very nature of illicit traffic, which requires both responding to emergency situations (with field missions conducted by ICOM experts) and substantial efforts to inform and educate all potential stakeholders in order to reduce illicit traffic through the development of effective, binding tools. listed NGOs, international organisations and art market actors). The website also offers a glossary of 117 terms produced by the Observatory s experts, technical data sheets on good practices (authentication, museum security, database of stolen objects, etc.) and case studies. Since its launch, the Observatory s website has expanded and now includes: glossary definitions - 2,129 texts and documents and 395 audio and video recordings practical tools obtained from other institutions and organisations normative and ethical instruments legal instruments - links to 114 websites with information on illicit traffic actors concerned by illicit traffic A CROSS-CUTTING, INTERDISCIPLINARY ONLINE PLATFORM: Launched in April 2014, the Observatory s English-language website centralises and disseminates a variety of documentary resources and tools to provide information on the illicit traffic in cultural goods and ways to fight it. It uses a cross-cutting approach to provide interdisciplinary data, making it easy for visitors to navigate. The website is organised into three sections: information on every aspect of illicit traffic, news regarding the phenomenon, and a search platform with access to a large database that can be explored by geographic area or topic (with 3,689 documentary resources and Marble statue of Apollo with his lyre, Lepcis Magna bathhouse, Roman period (2nd c. AD). National Museum of Tripoli (As-Saraya al-hamra), Courtesy of ICOM Red List 2. Terracotta figurine of a goddess, Cyrenaica, Greek period (ca. 450 BC), H 24.5 cm. British Museum, London, Courtesy of ICOM Red List 3. Marble portrait statue of a veiled woman, north of the Temple of Apollo (Cyrene), Hellenistic period ( BC), H 1.98 m. British Museum, London, Courtesy of ICOM Red List

12 F. THE PUBLICATION: Countering Illicit Traffic in Cultural Goods The Global Challenge of Protecting the World s Heritage 09 A CURRENT, TRANSDISCIPLINARY APPROACH Countering Illicit Traffic in Cultural Goods - The Global Challenge of Protecting the World s Heritage, the culmination of three years of the Observatory s work, discusses the subject of illicit traffic accurately and honestly. Published in English (and also accessible online) and edited and prefaced by France Desmarais, the book is a collection of essays by 14 international experts from a variety of disciplines (archaeologists, academics, curators, lawyers, journalists). With their wide range of backgrounds and experience, the authors address different aspects of the illicit traffic in cultural goods, question the relevance of the instruments that exist to combat it, and raise issues for future consideration. Their in-depth analyses are supported by current data, and each essay is accompanied by an extensive bibliography and additional documents (photos of looted sites, figures, etc.) FROM SECURITY IN FRENCH MUSEUMS TO THE RETURN OF THOUSANDS OF OBJECTS TO KABUL The book opens with a series of essays on actors in the art market (museums, art dealers, the Internet, etc.) and then examines specific situations (the traffic of Latin American, Egyptian, Cambodian and European cultural goods) and the looting of underwater heritage before exploring the successes and limitations of strategies for fighting illicit traffic. The book begins and ends on a hopeful note with some tangible results. The cover features a picture of the "Fire Buddha", a statue from the second century BC that was stolen from the National Museum of Afghanistan in 1996 and then identified in a private collection and returned to Kabul in This photo is echoed by the book s final essay, "Back to Kabul", by St John Simpson, an archaeologist and curator at the British Museum in London who discusses successful collaborative actions. Thanks to the collaboration between the British Museum and the National Museum of Afghanistan, the vigilance of British police and customs officials, and the Red List of Afghanistan Antiquities at Risk, for example, many objects stolen or looted from Afghanistan s archaeological sites during the civil war in the 1990s were successfully intercepted. More than 1,500 objects seized at Heathrow airport from 2003 to 2007 were authenticated by experts from the British Museum and returned to Kabul. CONTENTS Countering Illicit Traffic in Cultural Goods - The Global Challenge of Protecting the World s Heritage I. On the Market: Cui Bono? Gunther Wessel, Dealers, Collectors, Provenances and Rights: Searching for Traces Neil Brodie, The Internet Market in Antiquities Sam Hardy, The Conflict Antiquities Trade: A Historical Overview II. From the Source: Networks and Routes for Stolen Objects Donna Yates, Illicit Cultural Property from Latin America: Looting, Trafficking, and Sale Monica Hanna, Documenting Looting Activities in Post-2011 Egypt Assad Seif, Illicit Traffic in Cultural Property in Lebanon Brian I. Daniels and Katryn Hanson, Archaeological site looting in Syria and Iraq: A Review of the Evidence Tess Davis, The Lasting Impact of United States vs. Cambodian Sculpture Augustin Lazar, Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Goods in South East Europe: Fiat Lux! Michel L Hour, A Fight Yet To Be Waged: Underwater Heritage Protection III. Implementing Solutions: Legal Instruments and Practical Tools Sophie Delepierre and Marina Schneider, Ratification and Implementation of International Conventions to Fight Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property Robert Peters, The Protection of Cultural Property in EU Law: Status Quo and Future Perspectives Simon Mackenzie, Do we need a Kimberley Process for the Illicit Antiquities Trade? Laurie Rush, Military Protection of Cultural Property Guy Tubiana, Museum Security in French Museums: An Overview St John Simpson, Back to Kabul: Case Studies of Successful Collaboration

13 Ceramic panathenaic black-figured amphora, Apollonia, Greek and Hellenistic period (mid-6th 2nd c. BC), 66.5 x Ø 32.6 cm. French Archaeological Mission / Gilles Mermet, Courtesy of ICOM Red List The publication of the Observatory was realised with the financial support of the Prevention of and Fight against Crime Programme, European Commission, Directorate-General Home Affairs. This Emergency Red List was produced with the generous support of the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs - Washington, D.C. PRESS CONTACTS Pierre Laporte Communication Laurent Jourdren / Marie Roy info@pierre-laporte.com T (0) ICOM Yu Zhang, Head of Communication Department zhang@icom.museum T (1)