Content
A Letter from Sharon Flescher, Executive Director, IFAR
— Sharon Flescher
Introduction to the edited proceedings of a conference on “Provenance and Due Diligence,” organized by IFAR and NYU, April, 2000
Provenance -- What Is It?
— Various
Various definitions of provenance.
Morning Session: Provenance Research. Introductions and Welcome
— Lisa Koenigsberg and Sharon Flescher
Welcome and Introductions.
A Dialogue on Provenance and Due Diligence
— Constance Lowenthal and Stephen E. Weil
Discussion of the challenges of doing provenance research and its increasing importance.
Looted Art Research at the National Archives
— Greg Bradsher
A guide to, and overview of, the vast WWII-era collection of the National Archives.
Provenance Research—Looking for Looted Art
— Sarah Jackson
Discussion of how the ALR’s Stolen Art Database can be useful in provenance research and due diligence.
Provenance Research Tools
— Inge Reist
The author outlines the painstaking process involved in art historical provenance research and the tools available, particularly at the Frick Art Reference Library.
Lost and Sometimes Found: Findspots and Pedigrees of Ancient Art
— Robert Cohon
Discussion of provenance research as it pertains to antiquities.
Provenance: A Dealer's View
— Peter Marks
The challenge that antiquities dealers face when trying to verify the provenance of objects.
Afternoon Session: Due Diligence—Legal Issues.
— Sharon Flescher
Welcome and introduction to second half of conference, devoted to legal issues of due diligence. Introduction to Craig Hugh Smyth.
A First-Hand Account of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Services (MFA&A)
— Craig Hugh Smyth
Author, a former “Monuments Man,” was head of the Munich Collecting Point in WWII.
Due Diligence?
— John Henry Merryman
By means of hypothetical examples, Merryman discusses the challenges and, at times, vague definition of the phrase, “due diligence.”
Forfeiture of Artworks
— Alexander H. Shapiro
The author, a U.S. district attorney, defines and gives examples of criminal and civil forfeitures of artworks.
Due Diligence for Acquiring Cultural Property in the New Millennium
— Linda F. Pinkerton
Suggestions for a new standard of conduct in acquiring artwork and cultural property.
Legal Panel: Introduction: The Tale of the Two Chagalls or How New York State Got Its Statute of Limitations Rule
— Herbert Hirsch
A discussion of two legal cases, Menzel v. List and Guggenheim v. Lubell.
Legal Panel: Provenance and Legal Responsibility. What Constitutes Due Diligence?
— Herbert Hirsch, John Henry Merryman, Alexander H. Shapiro, Stephen E. Weil and Linda Pinkerton
Panel discussion of due diligence issues followed by questions from the floor.
Stolen Art Alert
Listing of recent thefts, including Monet’s Beach at Pourville, Renoir’s Conversation and an Andy Warhol print of Marilyn Monroe.
