The signing of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) convention, which took place on Wednesday last week, followed two major reviews of the problem of stolen art – one by the House of Commons Culture Select Committee, the other by a panel of experts made up of academics, legal authorities and members of the trade.
Both reported late last year to Arts Minister Alan Howarth on what could be done to regulate the trade and how relations with other countries in Europe and beyond could be improved to help fight crime.
Both reviews noted that the need to tighten regulations had to be balanced against the risk of damaging legitimate trade with too much bureaucracy or unrealistic standards.
At the centre of the debate was the question of provenance, a particularly difficult issue with antiquities, which often have no written history because of their age.
Britain hopes that by signing the convention, the authorities and trade will be able to share information much more widely in the fight against crime. This should include gaining access to databases of stolen art from other countries as well as developing a similar Home Office database for use in this country.
It also means that the UK authorities have committed themselves to returning stolen of works of art they seize to the other UNESCO member countries where they belong. Britain should benefit reciprocally from the arrangement.
Importantly, the measures are not retroactive, and so will not apply to previously disputed works of art in UK museums, most notably the Elgin Marbles that came from the frieze of the Parthenon in Athens and whose return the Greek authorities have been actively seeking for some time.
It is possible that the Art Loss Register and Invaluable, who both operate databases of stolen art, could become involved in the project to set up and run the Home Office database.
However, it could be some time before any such project goes ahead as Mr Howarth has indicated that Government departments involved will have to pay for it out of existing funding.
Britain signs UNESCO pledge on stolen art
UK: THE net surrounding the UK’s illicit art and antiquities trade has tightened with the Government signing up to an international convention to return stolen artefacts to their rightful owners.
