International seminar “Ars Auro Prior – Restitution of Lost and Stolen Art Works” will take place this year at the University of Gdańsk, Faculty of Law and Administration on 10th December.

This seminar is organized to celebrate the grand opening of Ms. Agata Perzyńska’s exhibition. In her works artist focuses on the works of art looted in Poland during the WWII. The exhibition is the effect of scholarship from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland. Processes connected to restitution of war losses and decolonisation and transitional justice are forcing the greatest museums all over the world, as well as private collectors in different countries, to respond to the restitution claims and regard public opinion and pressure.

Analyzing just the law became insufficient to solve the so-called hard cases, which are restitution cases. It calls for an expanded approach that leads to return, compensation, or at least apologies. Hence, the issue of the restitution of cultural property is a segment of the considerations that are touched on by the concept of transnational justice. The concept should concentrate on the victims of the acts mentioned above and on the possibility of compensation, even if it would be just symbolic and the victims themselves are no longer alive. The key aspects of seminar is historical illegality or historical injustice. Together with legal aspects, the other conditions like moral and political are taken into account.

Coming to terms with the past encounters certain limitations in the reality of democratic states. In each historical period there have been frequent violations of the ownership rights. Sometimes they were against the interest of specific parties — the state, private owners, groups of minor cultures.

//Programme //

Tuesday, December 10, 9:00-18:00 CET
Faculty Council Hall
Moderators: Prof. Kamil Zeidler & Paula Chmielowska (University of Gdańsk)

I 9:00-12:45: Panel 1

I 9:00-9:15
Welcoming Remarks by Organizers

I 9:15-9:45
Dr Jihon Kim (Korean National Commission for UNESCO): “A Settled Issue? Restitution of Cultural Property in the Case of the Korean Buddha Statue Stolen from Japan” (online)

I 9:45-10:15
Racheal Beckley (Kyushu University): “Restitution of Cultural Heritage: A Case for the Benin
Bronzes from an Argumentative Perspective” (online)

I10:15-10:45
Dr Andrzej Jakubowski (INP PAN) “International Law Dimension of Provenance Reserach”
(online)

I 10:45-11:15
Guna Freivalde (AMG Attorneys, Belgium): “Restitution of Cultural Artefacts in Spain: Historical
Challenges and Legal Evolution” (online)

I 11:15-11:45
Prof. Elina Moustaira (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens): “Restitution of Lost and
Stolen Art Works, Restitution of Identity” (online)

I 11:45-12:15
Dr Ronan Bretel (Panthéon-Sorbonne University): “Contemporary Developments In French Law on the Restitution of Artworks Looted During the Second World War” (online)

I 12:15-12:45 Dr Yuka Kadoi (University of Vienna): “Vienna-Kraków-Budapest: Three Restitution Cases of Persian Woven Treasures” (online)

I 12:45-13:00
Introduction to exhibition by Agata Perzyńska (in person)
I 13:00-14:00
Ceremonial opening of Agata Perzyńska exhibition “Ars Auro Prior”

I 14:00-14:30
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Lucian Simmons (The Metropolitan Museum of Art): “Provenance
and Cultural Patrimony: a Museum Perspective” (online)

I 14:30-18:00 Panel 2

I 14:30-15:00
Amanda Buonaiuto (Center for Art Law): “Nazi-Looted Art Restitution Project” (online)

I 15:00-15:30
Stephanie Drawdy Esq. (New York): “Historical Justice for Female Artists of the Lost Generation: A Practice of Spoken Word, Prose and Painting” (online)

I 15:30-16:00
Alexander Herman (Institute of Art and Law): “The Parthenon Marbles: Understanding the world’s longest-standing cultural property dispute” (online)

I 16:00-16:30
Dr Bartłomiej Sierzputowski (The Ministry of Culture and Cultural Heritage of the Republic of
Poland, Department for Cultural Heritage): “The Impact of the Recent French Legislation on the Issue of Polish-French Restitution of Cultural Property - Needs, Possibilities, Achievements, Challenges and Obstacles” (online)

I 16:30-17:00
Raymond J. Dowd (New York): “The 1907 Hague Convention on Land Warfare Forbids Pillage and Seizure Of Artworks: Does It (Or Should It) Afford Claimants of Nazi-Looted Artworks. A Legal Remedy in Signatory Countries? (online)

I 17:00-17:30
Daniel Green (Austrian Association for Legal Linguistics): “Restitution and Legal-Media
Discourses: A Quantitative Analysis of Claims Conference Press Releases (2006- 20024)” (online)

I 17:30-18:00
Discussion and Closing Remarks

Further Information:
https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/c2ab9572-7bf2-4bbd-ba78-92d51e2221422d9a5a9f-69b7-4940-a1a6-af55f35ba069

https://prawo.ug.edu.pl/ars-auro-prior