Useful Links

Fighting the illicit traffic in cultural property

You will find herewith a list of useful links about illicit traffic in cultural property and related subjects. This list is not ment to be all-inclusive. Please help us keep this up to date. If you know of any change or any necessary addition, let us know, and we shall be happy to make the necessary changes on this page.

1. General information

• ICOM
• The Illicit Antiquities Research Centre
• UNESCO Prevention of the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property
  
• ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites)
  
• Museum Security Network
  
• Council of Europe - Archaeology: protection and development
  
• International Bar Association - Protecting Cultural Heritage
  
• Cultural Heritage Watch
  
• Object ID
• Museum law and the protection of cultural property and monuments VL-Museen (Deutschland)
  

2. Conventions

• UNESCO Conventions
  - Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. (1954)
  - Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (1970)
  - Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. (2001)
  
• UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects (1995)
  
• Council of Europe
• International Cultural Property Protection - US State Department, Bureau of Cultural and Educational Affairs

3. Legislations by Country

• European Heritage Network (Some European countries legislation available)
• Argentina - INTERPOL
• Brazil - Istituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional
• Cyprus - Ministry of Communications and works
• Czech Republic - Ministry of Culture, Department of Moveable Heritage, Museums and Galleries
• Peru - http://textiles.perucultural.org.pe/legis.htm

4. Police and Custom Organisations

• Interpol Stolen Works of Art
• Interpol Argentina
• FBI Art Theft Program (USA)
• Scotland Yard - Metropolitan Police, Art and Antiquites Unit (UK)
• Arma dei Carabinieri (Italy)
• IPHAN- Istituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional (Brazil)
• Central Office for the Fight against Traffic in Cultural Goods (Office Central de lutte contre le trafic des biens culturels, France)
• Instituto Superior de policía judiciária e ciências criminais (Portugal)
• World Custom Organisation / Organisation mondiale des douanes

5. Information on Stolen Objects (databases, import, restitution, alerts…)

• Interpol Stolen Works of Art CD-Rom
• Invaluable - Art Market Intelligence (database, police liaison team and magazine - english)
  http://www.thesaurus.co.uk/protect/theft_default.asp
  And http://www.thesaurus.co.uk/protect/museums/ - (for museums)
• Trace (service for locating and retrieving stolen art, antiques and collectables, english)
• The Art Loss Register (a private database of stolen art and antiquities. It includes works of art looted during World War II which are identified separately. Available in english, german, french, italian)
• Find Stolen Art (UK) (This Web Site has been developed to assist Police Forces, across the United Kingdom, in the recovery and return of Stolen Antiques and to enable Auction Houses, Collectors and Dealers to comply with the Code of Due Diligence, available in english)
• List of: Stolen Art Databases (This website gives information on Stolen Art Databases, Private Stolen Art Listings, as well as Police Listings, Wwii, Other Stolen Objects)

6. Resources on the issue of spoliation of Jewish cultural property during the Second World War.