Forgery and the looting of art and antiquities have been the scourges of the art world for centuries, and despite the fact that in recent years art experts and law enforcement have acquired new tools to combat both phenomena, spectacular art thefts continue to dominate headlines with an alarming frequency, while international disputes about the provenance of art works abound.
The subject was discussed in depth at a recent weeklong series of lectures during History of Art Week organized by the student-members of the DEREE History of Art Society in early October.
The main speakers were:
- Dr. Christos Tsirogiannis of Cambridge University who spoke on “Greece in Crisis: The country’s position on the Map of the International Illicit Antiquities Network”
- Dr. Noah Charney of John Cabot University in Rome, an internationally recognized expert on art forgery and founder of the Association for Research into Crimes Against Art (ARCA), whose lecture was titled “An Introduction to Art Forgery”
- Artist Fotini Xipolitakou who spoke on the looting of antiquities, the illicit trade in cultural treasures, their protection and their repatriation, and
- Investigative journalist Nicholas Zirganos, who played a key role in the repatriation of Greek antiquities from the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
The conference attracted significant interest from both experts and the general public, and was noted by the Hellenic Society of Museologists.
Those who attended at least two of the lectures received a certificate of attendance.