Latest News
 


AWARDING OF THE "BUNDESVERDIENSTKREUZ" TO WALTER I. FARMER

On February 9th, 1996, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, Klaus Kinkel, awarded Walter I. Farmer in an official ceremony the highest decoration ("Großes Verdienstkreuz"). Walter Farmer was the first director of the Wiesbaden Collecting Point immediately after the war. He initiated the so-called "Wiesbaden Manifesto" in 1945, protesting against the transport of 202 paintings to the United States of America eventually resulting in their return to Germany.

In his words of thanks Walter Farmer said: "It is with humility that I accept this great honour on behalf of our tiny group - the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives specialist officers - whose sole mission was the preservation of significant works of art. It was this tiny group that gathered together in my office in Wiesbaden on November 7th, 1945, to protest the order from higher headquarters to ship 202 German owned paintings to the United States. It was the only protest by officers in World War II; it is now called the "Wiesbaden Manifesto". Consider how few there were on the spot, actually only 35, and then consider the great number of buildings which were saved. (...) I would like to name a few of the key officers: George Stout, James Rorimer, Calvin Hathaway, Mason Hammond, Bancel La Farge, Charles Kuhn, Walker Hancock, Craig Smyth, Edith Standen, Everett Lesley Jr., Leslie Poste. (...) I would also like to recognize the contribution made by German scholars. All the collecting points were staffed by Germans. Again, on behalf of all Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives officers, thank you."

TROPHY ART EXHIBITIONS IN THE HERMITAGE

On March 3rd, 1996, the Hermitage Exhibition "Hidden Treasures Revealed" closed. According to the director of the Hermitage, Michail Piotrovsky, the exhibition was a great success. 1,5 million visitors saw the exhibition, among them 300,000 foreigners. Commercially, however, it caused the Hermitage a deficit of 50,000 US dollars. The pictures are now in the permanent exhibition.

Piotrowsky announced two more exhibitions with trophy art for this year. "Schliemann, Troy, and St. Petersburg" will open in the second half of 1996. It will combine gold, bronze and ceramic objects from Germany with objects, which have already been in the Hermitage before World War II. At the beginning of December the exhibition "Treasures of the European Art of Drawing" is going to be opened. It will show 89 drawings and watercolours from the private collections of Gerstenberg, Krebs, Siemens, Graupe, Bechstein and Koehler. Piotrovsky also mentioned the already announced exhibition of objects from the East-Asian Museum in Berlin.

SCIENTIFIC SYMPOSIUM "LEGAL ASPECTS OF THE RESTITUTION OF CULTURAL PROPERTY: THEORY AND PRACTICE" IN KIEV

In the last issue we announced an international conference on legal aspects in Ukraine. It will take place on October 24th to 26th, 1996 in Kiev. According to the organizers, the following questions will be dealt with:

  1. The practical use of conventions and UNESCO recommendations by the participant states with regard to the protection and return of lost cultural property; the necessity of refining them.
  2. The problems of restitution of lost and displaced cultural property.
  3. National legislation and its relation to international legal norms with regard to protecting cultural property.
  4. Problems of international law and procedures for returning cultural property to countries of origin that have since gained independence.
  5. The application of sanctions to countries holding displaced cultural property of other countries on their territory (in case of their refusal to enter negotiations on restitution).
  6. The improvement of the international legal institution of liability of states for damage caused to the cultural legacy during armed conflicts.
  7. Governmental measures to prevent the destruction of cultural monuments and to stave off dangers affecting them.
  8. The problems of returning displaced cultural property from private collections to its rightful owners or their heirs in the context of international obligations
  9. The prospects for establishing an international data base on the most outstanding monuments of culture lost during World War II.
Further information can be obtained from Alexander Fedoruk, Head of the National Commission on the Return of Cultural Treasures to the Ukraine under the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, 252008 Kiev (Fax-No.: + 44-2931 301).

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM IN MINSK

On October 14th-15th, 1996, an international symposium about the fate of the Belorussian cultural treasures will take place in Minsk. The symposium will deal with museum objects, books and archival material, lost as a consequence of World War I and II. Questions of the transport into other countries, exchange, return and the legal aspects will be discussed. The symposium is organized by the National Scientific-Educational Center F. Skaryna under the auspices of UNESCO.