Culture crime news: 7–13 Apr 2014

News

Hot this week: Terrible Op-eds

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General

The archaeology paradox: more laws, less treasure
7 April 2014, The Los Angeles Times;
I include this OpEd with MUCH reservation and although rarely comment in Culture Crime News I must say the following. I highly recommend reading my and other comments on the OpEd as well as the blog entry written by Tess Davis that I have reposted in this blog. The author bases his statements on faulty data and junk ‘stats’. He is not to be taken seriously.

Letters: Archaeology and anti-looting laws
12 April 2014, The Los Angeles Times

Oceania and Australia

National Gallery of Australia director Ron Radford reluctant to admit Dancing Shiva is stolen
7 April 2014, The Sydney Morning Herald

NGA pays over odds for crucifix (Australia, Paywall)
10 April 2014, The Australian

Australia must return stolen Shiva statue to India: former diplomat from Natasha Chaku
11 April 2014, DNA India

NGA overpaid Kapoor for statue (Australia)
12 April 2014, The Australian (Paywall)

Africa

Taking on Art Looters on Twitter (Egypt)
9 April 2014, The New York Times

Egyptian police confiscate three mummies from smuggling gang
12 April 2014, Arahm Online

Looted marble Mask of Gorgon returned to Algeria
11 April 2014, The Art Newspaper

Use Diplomacy To Retrieve Stolen Artefacts – Adediran (Nigeria)
11 April 2014, Leadership

Americas

Up to 12 years in jail for looting monuments (Hasta 12 años de cárcel por saquear monumentos; Mexico, Spanish)
3 April 2014, El Punto Critico

Treasure Salvage Licence Hopes Are ‘Wrecked’ (Bahamas)
8 April 2014, Tribune 242

Florida pastor convicted in NYC fake Hirst art case
8 April 2014, KATV

FBI leaves scene of artifacts investigation, mum on details
9 April 2014, Shelby News

FBI doesn’t take all items from massive collection
9 April 2014, RTV6

Polish-Born Artist’s Missing Paintings Discovered in Santa Rosa Storage Unit
11 April 2014, NBC Bay Area

19th Century Schadow painting returned to Stern estate (Canada)
7 April 2014, The Globe and Mail

Vancouver Island First Nation recovers historic blanket that turned up at Paris auction 100 years after it disappeared (Canada)
10 April 2014, National Post

Highly Significant First Nations Cultural Artefact Brought Back to Canada

9 April 2014, Digital Journal

Europe

Getty Museum to return 12th century New Testament to Greece monastery
7 April 2014, The LA Times

“Socrates” seeks Royals’ help to return Elgin Marbles
10 April 2014, Scoopit

Reward offered over Henry Moore sculpture theft (UK)
11 April 2014, BBC News

Italy’s looted treasures found in Rome ‘museum’
7 April 2014, The Local

Italian collector’s ‘private museum’ seized by police
11 April 2014, The Art Newspaper

International treasures missing (Catholic art from Italy)
9 April 2014, Catholic Herald

Hunt for Nazi art shows museum failings: former minister (Germany)
8 April 2014, Reuters

Russian ministries set to return Scythian gold collection back to Crimean museums
12 April 2014, Voice of Russia

West Asia

What happened to Gaza’s Apollo statue?
8 April 2014, Aljazeera

Will a Syrian victory at a posh London auction house accelerate Global Cultural Protections?
9 April 2014, OpedNews.com

Overcoming looting and years of war, Iraq Museum moves to reopen
11 April 2014, Yahoo News

Drones: Archaeology’s Newest Tool to Combat Looting (Jordan)
11 April 2014, National Georgraphic

South and East Asia

‘Panchaloha’ idols of Sitarama, Lakshmana, Anjaneya seized (India)
8 April 2014, The Hindu

Profiling of Idols to Ward Off Smuggling Yet to Begin in State (India)
7 April 2014, New Indian Express

State-level idol records bureau mooted (India)
10 April 2014, The Hindu

Villagers questioned about stolen idol (India)
10 April 2014, The Times of India

Indian police search for sculptures’ homes
11 April 2014, The Australian

 In Other News

Uncut diamond stolen from New Mexico museum
10 April 2014, Albuquerque Journal

Should ancient bones be up for sale? Shoppers in Dubai say yes! (dino fossils)
10 April 2014, Green Prophet