Protecting Art and Cultural Property Through International Law

Art and cultural property have held a special significance for humankind for centuries. Collectors derive pleasure from the art or cultural property’s aesthetic and emotive value. Creators see the art or cultural property as an expression of their thoughts, feelings, creativity and personality, as well as a means of income. Finally, states and communities perceive such works as a documentation of their heritage, history, and legacy. In granting artists moral rights, and protecting art and cultural property from theft and destruction, we are preserving the value these actors place on these works.

Three panels of distinguished experts will aim to identify the ways in which the international legal discourse has, and has not, contributed to this endeavor through resale royalty rights, protection and preservation mechanisms enumerated in international agreements and national legislation, and restitution and repatriation practices, among others. 

Keynote speakers include:

This program is cosponsored by the International Law Review, the Intellectual Property Brief, the American Society of International Law's Cultural Heritage and the Arts Law Interest Group, and the Center for Art Law.