In politics, an op-ed
in US News and World Report illustrated the emerging power of cultural property in foreign relations, while the illumination of the
Statue of Liberty provided a symbol of resilience after Hurricane Sandy. Questions over what defines "fine art" continued a midst controversies over the aesthetic
value of some modern and contemporary art. In the UAE, the director of the
Sharjah Museums Department's (SMD) presented at a course
that aims to introduce professionals working in the Arab region to the field of
conservation and management of heritage and museum collections. Athar Programme
and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration
of Cultural Property (ICCROM) organized the course.
In a crossover of
politics and security, a 3-D rendering of the Buddhist Cave Temples of Xiangtangshan in China accompanied an exhibit of Buddhist
sculptures at New York University's Institute for the Study of the Ancient
World, which included sculptures from prominent museums in Canada, the United
States, and the United Kingdom. Also, an article in Foreign Policy articulated
the historical targeting of religious monuments as background for recent calls by Salafist leader
Murgan Salem al-Goharyof for the destruction of monuments such as the Sphinx
and pyramids at Giza. Tragically, the armed conflict between Israeli and Hamas also put world cultural heritage, such
as in Jerusalem, at risk.
In economics, arts
centers and organizations are considered catalysts for economic development in
the United States, such as in Oregon
and Arkansas,
and the government of Abu Dhabi considers the annual art fair part of a "cultural ecosystem." The Royal Family made
acquisitions destined for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, which is scheduled to open
in 2017. Performing arts showed promise in Taiwan, as the Ministry of Culture
funded the Performance Art Showcase which featured the Huashan Living Arts Festival as a means to
promoting the arts both within the state and with international festival
curators.
Sotheby's and
Christie's had successful auctions in New York totaling close to $1 billion despite the stagnating market for contemporary art, and at a following
auction by Phillips de Pury & Company, a portrait of Mao Zedong by Andy Warhol sold for $12 million. Meanwhile Chinese
auctions houses, such as China Guardian Auctions and Poly Auctions, prepare to expand internationally.
In a crossover of
economics and security, ArtLyst.com queued off of comments by art
critics and high-end collectors to write an article with details on the "unscrupulous" facets of the billion-dollar art market.
In security, an armed
robbery at the Pretoria Art Museum made headlines as the largest art heist in the history of South Africa. Reportedly, a 10-fold increase in
prices motivated the estimated $2 million theft. Subsequently, the Minister of Arts and Culture appealed for the safe return of the artworks. Meanwhile, investigation
into the illicit dealings of of Subhash Chandra Kapoor revealed long-term smuggling of relics across India and South East Asia.
In recoveries, two
men copped to stealing a Henry Moore sculpture worth up to $793,800 in Eastern England, and authorities
in Connecticut may leverage of drug and gun charges to press a mobster for information on the historic 1990 heist from the Isabella Stewart
Gardner Museum.
In prevention, a new
decree to combat cyber crime in the UAE included penalties
for use of information technology in illicit trading of antiquities and
artworks. Also, the International Council of Museums is behind establishing an "intelligence" body, "International Observatory on Illicit Traffic in Cultural Goods," to improve
cooperation between Interpol and UNESCO on countering the worldwide illicit trade
in cultural material.
For similar news, visit Cultural Security News.
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