ABSTRACT
In 1954 the UN passed the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. The starting position for any ethical discussion of art's moral status cannot begin with what the law, national or international, states on the matter. The greatest difficulty for the position in establishing a sacrosanct moral status for art is defining what constitutes art. A work of art is the culmination of a person's powers of intellect and creativity - the better the work of art, the higher the faculties that are engaged by the artist and the viewer. The destruction of a human life is an act that warrants complex justifications, an ensuing punishment. Utopian systems are thus works of art in themselves even when they deride art. The case for cultural protection should also seek to enthuse the moral motive for art's protection and, if necessary, for intervention to secure important art works for posterity.
