Next Friday November 1, 2013, the Lawyers' Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation is holding its annual conference, and hosting and event entitled "The Monuments Men, Social Media, the Law and Cultural Heritage." It is being held at Fordham Law School, Lincoln Center Campus, 140 W. 62nd Street, New York, NY 10023, from 8:30 pm to 6:00 pm. Scheduled speakers include Robert Edsel and Lynn Nicholas. This is an all-star cast.
For those not familiar with the subject (also to be addressed in a forthcoming movie directed by George Clooney), the LCCHP page summarizes it well: the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Program was responsible for protecting and saving works of art and cultural heritage during World War II.
This is a topic that always draws strong interest, particularly since Lynn Nicholas's book The Rape of Europa. I was fortunate many years ago to work with S. Lane Faison, who was a director of the Munich Colleciton Point, where much of the art looted by the Nazis was taken after the war to be restituted where possible. To say that truth is stranger than fiction does not even approach it.
Registration is here, the program is below:
The Lawyers’ Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation Presents
The Monuments Men, Social Media, the Law and Cultural Heritage
DATE: Friday, November 1, 2013
LOCATION: Fordham Law School, Lincoln Center Campus, 140 W. 62nd Street, New York, NY 10023
PROGRAM
Registration: 7:30 - 8:30 a.m.
Welcome: 8:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Diane Penneys Edelman, Villanova University School of Law; President, Lawyers’ Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation
Leila Amineddoleh, Adjunct Professor of Law, Fordham Law School; Executive Director, Lawyers’ Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation
Irina Tarsis, Chair, American Society of International Law Cultural Heritage & the Arts Interest Group
Panel 1: 9:00 - 10:30 a.m.
Monuments Officers, the Roberts Commission, Rose Valland, Ardelia Hall, the protection of monuments in Europe and Asia during WWII, law governing the “Spoils of War Doctrine,” legacy issues for museums and the art market
Chair: Thomas R. Kline, Of Counsel, Andrews Kurth, LLP; Assistant Professorial Lecturer, George Washington University, Museum Studies
Speakers:
Elizabeth Hudson, Chief Researcher, Monuments Men Foundation
Marc Masurovsky, Independent Historian and Author; formerly with U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Anne Rothfeld, Independent Historian, Ph.D. Candidate, American University
Victoria Reed, Curator for Provenance, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Coffee Break: 10:30 - 10:45 a.m.
Panel 2: 10:45a.m. - 12:15p.m.
Prevention efforts in problem areas since WWII: Evolution of U.S. law, policy and practice concerning looting prevention and restitution efforts in post-WWII conflicts
Chair: Lucille Roussin, Founder and Director, Holocaust Restitution and Claims Practicum; Adjunct Professor of Law, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
Speakers:
Richard B. Jackson, Special Assistant to the Army Judge Advocate General for Law of War Matters
Salam al-Kuntar, Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Pennsylvania Department of Anthropology
James McAndrew, Forensic Specialist, Grunfeld, Desiderio, Lebowitz, Silverman & Klestadt
Lunchtime Conversation with Lynn H. Nicholas, Independent Researcher and Author, The Rape of Europa: 12:15-1:30p.m.
Interview by Thomas Kline
Panel 3: 1:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
Present-day initiatives taken by the US armed forces, law enforcement, the art market and others to prevent and remedy looting and the trade of works looted during times of conflict, as well as law governing trade in looted objects
Chair: Elizabeth Varner, Executive Director, National Art Museum of Sport
Speakers:
Corine Wegener, Preservation Specialist for Cultural Heritage, Smithsonian Institution
Laurie W. Rush, Anthropologist and Cultural Resources Manager, United States Army
Thomas Mulhall, Supervisory Special Agent, Department of Homeland Security (ICE)
Monica Dugot, Senior Vice President, International Director of Restitution, Christie’s
Coffee Break: 3:00 - 3:15 p.m.
Panel 4: 3:15 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
The use of the Internet, social media, television, news industry and film to raise awareness of looting, theft, and cultural heritage issues. A discussion about alternative channels used to reduce cultural heritage loss and increase restitution
Chair: Leila Amineddoleh
Speakers:
Darius Arya, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, American Institute for Culture
Jason Felch, Reporter, Los Angeles Times; Co-Author, Chasing Aphrodite
David D’Arcy, Correspondent, The Art Newspaper; Screenwriter/Producer, Portrait of Wally
Afterword by Robert Edsel, Author and President, Monuments Men Foundation: 4:45 - 5:30 p.m.
WWII Monuments Men to the Present: What have we learned? What do we need to relearn?
Introduction by Thomas R. Kline
Cocktail Reception: 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
