Today our founder had the honor of attending the repatriation ceremony of the Golden Coffin of Nedjemankh to the nation of Egypt. Leila served as the Egyptian cultural heritage law expert for the Manhattan DA’s Office for the repatriation of this spectacular object. The coffin was looted in 2011 and purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the “Met”) in 2017 for $4 million. During today’s repatriation ceremony, the DA quite appropriately addressed the importance of due diligence and a commitment to recognizing red flags for stolen antiquities. In this matter, the coffin went on the market and was purchased by the Met in 2017, six years after the start of the Egyptian Revolution. In addition, the magnificent artifact had never been published or studied by scholars. And finally, the paperwork that accompanied the coffin was forged. With proper due diligence and confirming the veracity of the papers, the forged nature of the documentation could have been uncovered. As noted during today’s ceremony, there are ties between criminal networks and the illicit antiquities market, and so it is important to avoid the purchase of stolen items. The District Attorney also acknowledged the Met’s cooperation in returning the priceless object.
The exquisite coffin is now returning to Egypt where it will be exhibited in a state museum. Eventually it will be displayed in the Grand Egyptian Museum after its opening in 2020. As noted by the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, the coffin is returning to its home, but it is valuable to all mankind.
While the controversy between Greece and the UK over the ownership of the Parthenon marbles is not new, Greek artist Hellena recently found a creative way to protest the British Museum’s continued refusal to return these pieces to her homeland. Hellena, an accomplished singer, songwriter, director, and composer, currently resides in London and staged a peaceful music protest at the museum on June 20, 2019. The protest was timed to accompany the release of her single, “The Parthenon Marbles (bring them back),” and took in the Duveen Gallery where the marbles are displayed. She performed the song ten times to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the opening of the Acropolis Museum in Athens. Hellena, supported by the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles, hopes to bring awareness to the issue and right the wrongs of the past through the reunification of the Parthenon after 200 years.
Previously, the British Museum cited Greece’s lack of proper infrastructure as justification for their refusal to return the marbles. Since the opening of the Acropolis Museum, however, this excuse has grown thin. This museum has replicas of the missing pieces juxtaposed with the remaining sculptures to highlight the contrast and serve as a physical and ever-present reminder of the country’s history as a victim of looting. Members of the international legal community – including barrister Amal Clooney – have rallied around Greece’s efforts to protect its cultural heritage. After all, the UK was involved in the taking of numerous antiquities during the colonial period. However, it is a sensitive and complex issue which may prove difficult to navigate through a straightforward restitution request in the courts.
Instead, Greece prefers to offer alternative solutions. On September 2, 2019, the British Museum stated that it will consider loaning the Parthenon marbles after Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated that he is willing to lend never-before-seen artifacts to the UK in exchange. This is a marked change from the Museum Director’s earlier statement that Lord Elgin’s original removal of the marbles was a “creative act.” Mitsotakis has acknowledged that the sculptures form part of humanity’s shared heritage, but stresses that their proper place is at the Acropolis. Nonetheless, a precondition for the loan is the acceptance of the lending institution’s ownership, which poses a potentially insurmountable obstacle, as the Greek position concerning Elgin’s theft remains firm. France has proven more amenable to the loan agreement.
While Greece decided not to pursue judicial action in this particular instance, it is still vigilant when surveying the global art market for looted items and takes legal measures when necessary. Amineddoleh & Associates currently represents the Greek Cultural Ministry in a civil case before the federal courts in New York, concerning the acquisition of a bronze horse which originated in Greece. The case is ongoing and demonstrates the need to distinguish fine arts from antiquities in cultural heritage disputes. Greek law provides the government with a constitutional mandate to protect the nation’s cultural heritage, which is exclusively owned by the state and its people. Limiting its recourse to judicial action would have far-reaching consequences for this country as well as other foreign cultural ministries and agencies tracking and attempting to recover their cultural heritage in the US. On a more personal note, Hellena’s protest demonstrates how deeply this issue resonates with Greek citizens, and all those who see the need to return cultural heritage items to their places of origin. We at Amineddoleh & Associates are poised to assist in cultural heritage disputes as we fully understand the legal and non-legal nuances affecting restitution debates.
Our founder, Leila Amineddoleh, had the pleasure of speaking at the Victoria & Albert Museum last month in London. Leila presented a brief history of looting, followed by a timeline of important art repatriation cases. Next came advice about due diligence for collectors, and then Leila addressed ethical concerns related to museums and collectors. Following her talk was a lively question and answer period. The Institute of Art & Law graciously reviewed the sold-out event and provided a helpful synopsis of the lecture.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Our founder, Leila A. Amineddoleh, served as a cultural heritage law expert for the Eastern District of New York in its case against Hobby Lobby. The national retail chain, Hobby Lobby, purchased over 5,500 ancient artifacts from dealers in the Middle East, after one of the world’s legal heritage experts, Patty Gerstenblith, warned the company about acquiring objects lacking clear provenance. She warned the company that classes of objects from Iraq (including cuneiform tables) have a high probability of being looted from archaeological sites. Ignoring the advice, the company moved forward with the purchases anyway, and the plundered artifacts (bearing shipping labels with falsified information) entered the US illegally.
Yesterday, nearly 4,000 of the pieces were returned to Iraqi officials at the embassy. These objects will most likely be displayed at Iraq’s National Museum.
Our firm is honored to have played a role in such a momentous repatriation. For more information about the case, please read one of our prior blog posts.
It was announced today that the case against the Beierwaltes was dropped today after it was agreed that an purportedly looted item would be repatriated to Lebanon. See the attached letter below. And for more information about the case, see last week’s blog entry. Congratulations on this important return!
