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30 November 2012

Vzdělávací program v oblasti provenienčního výzkumu kulturních statků 10.–15. 3. 2013, Záhřeb, Chorvatsko


Vzdělávací program v oblasti provenienčního výzkumu kulturních statků
(Provenance Research Training Program, PRTP)
10.-15. 3. 2013, Záhřeb, Chorvatsko


Vážení přátelé,

s potěšením si Vás dovoluji pozvat na další z odborných seminářů zaměřených na průzkum původu kulturních statků pořádaných Evropským institutem odkazu šoa (ESLI) ve spolupráci s The Conference of Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference). Na pořádání semináře, který tentokrát proběhne v termínu 10. – 15. 3. 2013 v chorvatském Záhřebu, se dále spolupodílejí Ministerstvo kultury Chorvatské republiky, Centrum pro dokumentaci muzejních sbírek (Muzejski dokumentacijski centar) a Chorvatský státní archiv. Vítáme zájem všech zájemců o účast na semináři a zvláště pak těch, kteří odborně působí v balkánských zemích a oblasti Středomoří či se na tuto oblast zaměřují ve svém bádání.

Termín pro podání přihlášek (včetně žádostí o finanční podporu) je 4. 1. 2013.

Více o programu PRTP se lze dozvědět na internetových stránkách http://provenanceresearch.org, jejichž prostřednictvím lze také podat online přihlášku včetně veškerých příloh. V případě jakýchkoli dotazů se prosím na nás neváhejte obrátit prostřednictvím komunikačního formuláře na uvedených webových stránkách.

Vyrozumění o výsledcích rozhodnutí výběrové komise obdrží všichni žadatelé nejpozději do 15. 1. 2013.

Srdečně,

Marc J. Masurovsky
Ředitel PRTP
Evropský institut odkazu šoa

29 November 2012

Proveniencia Kutatás Kepző Program (PRTP)

Pályázati felhívás

Második alkalommal hirdetjük meg a Proveniencia Kutatás Kepző Program (PRTP) műhelyét.

A PRTP műhely helyszine, időtartama: Zágráb, Horvátország, 2013. március 10 - 15.

A Horvát Nemzeti Levéltár, a Múzeumi Dokumentaciós Központ, és a Jasenovac emlékmű együttműködésével, a műhely a Horvát Kulturális Minisztérium égisze alatt valósul meg.

Jelentkezési határidő: 2013. január 4.

A nemzetközi kepző műhely a Claims Conference hozzájárulásával jön létre, szponzora a European Shoah Legacy Institute (ESLI). Szakértők, diákok, szakemberek, műgyűjtők, műkereskedők, köztisztviselők, kutatók, nyomozók illetve olyan pályázók jelentkezését várjuk, akiket érdekel a kulturális fosztogatás (műkincsrablás), a magán es közszférában történő gyűjteményvezetés gyakorlati etikája, a kulturális örökségvédelem, valamint a proveniencia kutatásának es elemzésének módszertana.

 Részletes pályázati felhívás:

http://provenanceresearch.org/prtp/schedule
www.provenanceresearch.org

Tájékoztatásért, kérem, forduljanak hozzám.

Marc Masurovsky
Igazgató, PRTP
ESLI

Druga Edycja Programu Szkoleniowego w Zakresie Badań Proweniencji


Szanowni Państwo,

Mam przyjemność ogłosić drugą edycję programu szkoleniowego w zakresie badań proweniencji (Provenance Research Training Program PRTP). Szkolenie to będzie miało miejsce w Zagrzebiu, w Chorwacji, w dniach od 10 do 15 marca 2013 roku.

Szkolenie zostało zorganizowane pod egidą Chorwackiego Ministerstwa Kultury i przy współpracy Chorwackiego Archiwum Państwowego, Muzeum Centrum Dokumentacji oraz Jasenovac Memorial.

Aplikacje należy zgłaszać do 4 stycznia 2013 roku.

Międzynarodowe szkolenie jest sponsorowane przez Europejski Instytut Dziedzictwa Shoah (European Shoah Legacy Institute, ESLI) z pomocą Claims Conference. Jest przeznaczone dla naukowców, studentów, marszandów, profesjonalistów, badaczy oraz wszystkich innych osób interesujących się:

- tematem grabieży dzieł sztuki,

- etyczną stroną zarządzania kolekcjami dzieł sztuki w państwowym i prywatnym sektorze,

- prawem i dziedzictwem kulturowym,

- metodologią badań i analizą historii własności dóbr kultury przywłaszczonych podczas powszechnych konfliktów.



Poniżej link do szczegółowych informacji na temat programu:

http://provenanceresearch.org/prtp/schedule

http://www.provenanceresearch.org

Po więcej pytań na temat szkolenia w Zagrzebiu proszę o bezpośredni kontakt:


Marc Masurovsky
Dyrektor, PRTP
ESLI

23 November 2012

Program stručne izobrazbe o istraživanju podrijetla (PRTP)


 Stručna izobrazba o istraživanju podrijetla (PRTP)

Program stručne izobrazbe o istraživanju podrijetla (The Provenance Research Training Program, PRTP) pokrenuo je Evropski Shoah institut za baštinu (European Shoah Legacy Institute, ESLI), kojeg je osnovalo češko Ministarstva vanjskih poslova slijedom Konferencije o naslijeđu holokausta, održane u Pragu 2009. g. na kojoj je 47 zemalja sudionica potpisalo Deklaraciju Terezin. Stručna izobrazba sastoji se od istraživanja složene i široke teme podrijetla umjetničkih djela židovske umjetnosti i druge kulturne baštine koju su oteli nacisti. Izobrazba je na naprednoj razini, namijenjena sadašnjim i budućim međunarodnim stručnjacima koji se bave pitanjima kulturne pljačke u vrijeme Trećega Reicha, holokausta i Drugog svjetskog rata. U okviru izobrazbe svake se godine organiziraju jednotjedne radionice na kojima se dobiva širok uvid u povijest pljačke u kulturi (njezina razvoja i provođenja), obuka iz metodologije s naglaskom na specijalizirana istraživanja u javnim i privatnim arhivima, daje se pregled nacionalnih i međunarodnih pravnih pojmova i instrumenata, iznose političke, moralne i etičke dvojbe te principi i strategije povrata ukradenog. Osim što program nudi obuku i iscrpne informacije iz navedenih područja, njegov je dodatni cilj uspostaviti međunarodne mreže istraživača koji se bave podrijetlom kulturne baštine i stručnjaka iz vezanih područja.

Program stručne izobrazbe o istraživanju podrijetla (PRTP) održat će se u Zagrebu, Hrvatska od 10. do 15. ožujka 2013.g. pod pokroviteljstvom Ministarstva kulture Republike Hrvatske, Muzejskog dokumentacijskog centra i Hrvatskog državnog arhiva. Prijave iz balkanskih i mediteranskih zemalja osobito su dobrodošle.

4. SIJEČNJA 2013. KRAJNJI JE ROK ZA PRIJAVE (UKLJUČUJUĆI PRIJAVE ZA NOVČANU POTPORU) ZA RADIONICU U OŽUJKU U ZAGREBU.

Kandidati će o odluci Izbornog povjerenstva biti obaviješteni oko 15. Siječnja 2013.

http://provenanceresearch.org/

https://prtp.myreviewroom.com/

Illicit Art Trade 101: The Case of the Missing Marcos Paintings


On November 21, 2012, we learned that Imelda Marcos’ personal secretary, Ms. Vilma Bautista, was indicted in New York with two other individuals for selling Claude Monet’s “Le Bassin aux Nymphéas” to a London buyer for $32 million back in 2010 and for trying to sell three Impressionist works—L’Eglise et la Seine à Vétheuil, by Claude Monet (1881), “Le Cyprès de Djenan Sidi Said,” by Albert Marquet (1946) and “Langland Bay,” by Alfred Sisley (1887)— Ms. Bautista had obtained all four works under dubious circumstances from an apartment at 13-15 East 66th Street, in New York City controlled by the Marcos family and known as the “Philippine House”. The paintings remained concealed for two decades.
13-15 E. 66th Street, NY, NY
Source: Google
Imelda Marcos in 1982
Source: Google

According to the New York Times, Mrs. Marcos had acquired these paintings in the 1970s from an unspecified London art dealer and had brought them back to Manila before shipping them to New York in 1982.

This case should be sub-titled “Art Theft 101” or better still “Illicit Art Trade 101.”

Indeed, the premise is simple: an individual, Vilma Bautista, gains control under unclear circumstances of four (4) Impressionist paintings in the late 1980s. A decade goes by and, together with two other individuals, a plan is hatched to sell them. It dawns on at least one of the members of this alleged conspiracy that they do not have good title to the paintings. Hence, it would be a bit difficult to sell them on the open market since they would most likely be nabbed. First lesson: theft does not convey title. Ms. Bautista’s actions with the Marcos paintings are no different than what opportunistic individuals did during the Nazi years—somehow gained access to victims’ property, hid the stolen items, oftentimes for decades before releasing them for sale. The more well-known the items, the more likely they would have to be sold on the sly through a parallel market.

This is precisely what Ms. Bautista and her accomplices attempted to do.

First off, officialize title to the works. To do so, Bautista sought out a “notary.” That notary issued a so-called certificate of authority bearing the forged signature of Imelda Marcos. In short, this document legalized Ms. Bautista’s authority to sell the paintings without worry.
Le bassin aux nympheas, by Claude Monet, 1899
Source: Google
Secondly, it proved more complicated than expected to sell the prize painting of the lot, Monet’s “Le Bassin aux Nymphéas.” Estimated at somewhere around $40 million, the Bautista team knew that it would fetch a low value on the parallel market. In order to go through with the sale, the painting needed to be authenticated and processed for shipment overseas in case the prospective buyer was not on American soil. Hence, they enlisted several real estate brokers to cover their tracks and act as decoys or ‘fronts.’ Lesson: when selling hot property, including illicitly obtained art works whether in association with acts of mass slaughter or plain old misappropriation such as in the Marcos case, one needs to enlist a “go-between” who is accustomed to working unethically on the dark side of the tracks and can facilitate through “contacts” and “networks” an illicit sale, even beyond national borders.

In this case, after one failed attempt with a prospective buyer in New York, who actually raised concerns about the provenance and the right of Ms. Bautista to sell the painting in the first place, a prospective buyer was identified in London who would be willing to pay $32 million for the painting, despite his misgivings about title and authority of Ms. Bautista to dispose of this high-value item. The Bautista team even invoked Mrs. Marcos’ name to lend credibility to the pedigree of the work. Eventually, the painting was sold after the London buyer received written reassurances about the provenance of the work.

Question: $32 million represents a fairly tidy sum to spend on a painting for which there are doubts about clear title and ownership history. With so many questions hanging in the balance, how could a buyer act on the assumption that the people whom he suspected of being less than honest with him in fact were legitimate and had the right to sell him the Monet painting? Did the mere mention of Mrs. Marcos’ name impress this person beyond a doubt? Is it that easy, therefore, to swindle very wealthy people on the simple premise that these people would prefer to own an impressive Monet painting even with a cloud hanging over the true ownership of the work? This most recent example proves that, indeed, monied players in the international art market continue to forgo common sense, throw caution to the wind, do not follow their gut instincts and agree to acquire objects with problematic origins as to title and ownership. If they can do it with a recently-acquired painting, they can certainly do it with works that changed hands illegally more than 65 years ago and remained ‘concealed’ for decades before reappearing on the market—open or parallel.

Cyrus Vance, Jr.
Source: Google
To cap this story, the District Attorney of Manhattan, Cyrus Vance, Jr., stated unequivocally: “The integrity of the international art market must be protected….” I wonder where he was when Nazi looted art surfaced in his jurisdiction. We never heard him make such statements before. Let’s hope he means it and applies the lessons of the Marcos case to historic WWII-era thefts. Time will tell. One thing is sure: Cyrus Vance, Jr., pales in comparison to his predecessor, Robert Morgenthau. C’est la vie…

Epilogue: when checking Volume IV of the catalogue raisonné of Claude Monet’s works, authored by Daniel Wildenstein, there exist 11 variants of the “Bassin aux Nymphéas” all painted in 1899. Only one of them is in London, at the National Gallery (No. 1516, p. 156). There are no references whatsoever to a painting fitting that description and acquired by Mrs. Marcos in the 1970s which then hung at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Philippines. Curious?
Monet Catalogue raissoné
Source: Google

22 November 2012

Workshop di Zagabria, Croazia, del Provenance Research Training Program


Zagabria, Croazia

10-15 Marzo 2013

Il prossimo workshop del Provenance Research Training Program si terrà dal 10 al 15 marzo 2013 a Zagabria, Croazia, con la co-sponsorizzazione e sotto gli auspici del Ministero della Cultura della Repubblica di Croazia, del Museum Documentation Center e dell’Archivio di Stato croato.

Si incoraggiano in particolare le domande provenienti dai Balcani e dai paesi del Mediterraneo

SCADENZA PER LE DOMANDE (INCLUSE QUELLE PER IL CONTRIBUTO FINANZIARIO) PER IL WORKSHOP DI ZAGABRIA, CROAZIA, DEL MARZO 2013: 4 GENNAIO 2013

I candidati saranno informati delle decisioni della Commissione Giudicatrice il o intorno il 15 Gennaio 2013

https://prtp.myreviewroom.com/

http://provenanceresearch.org/prtp/apply

Workshop des Programms zur Schulung in der Provenienzforschung


Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,

es ist mir eine Freude den zweiten Workshop des Programms zur Schulung in der Provenienzforschung (Provenance Research Training Program, PRTP) anzukündigen, welcher zwischen dem 10. und 15. März in Zagreb, Kroatien, stattfinden wird.

Der Workshop erfolgt unter der Schirmherrschaft des kroatischen Ministeriums für Kultur in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Kroatischen Staatsarchiv, dem Zentrum für Museale Dokumentation (Museum Documentation Center) und der Jasenovac Gedenkstätte.

Bewerbungen sind bis zum 4. Januar 2013 einzureichen.

Der internationale Schulungsworkshop wird gefördert durch das Europäische Institut zur Wahrung des Vermächtnisses der Schoah (European Shoah Legacy Institute, ESLI) und organisiert mit der Hilfe der Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference). Als Teilnehmer herzlich willkommen sind Akademiker, Studenten, Experten, Sammler, (Kunst-)Händler, Beamte im öffentlichen Dienst, Wissenschaftler und Ermittler; sowie jeder der Interesse hat an Themen in Bezug auf kulturelle Plünderung, ethische Grundsätze von Sammlungsverwaltung im öffentlichen und privaten Bereich, kulturelle Rechte und kulturelles Erbe, Forschungsmethodik und Analyse der Eigentumsverhältnisse von während Großkonflikten enteignetem Kulturgut.

Weitere Informationen finden Sie unter folgendem Link:

http://provenanceresearch.org/prtp/schedule

Falls Sie Fragen zu dem Workshop in Zagreb haben, zögern Sie bitte nicht mich zu kontaktieren.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen,

Marc Masurovsky
Direktor, PRTP
ESLI