ABSTRACT
We witnessed in 2008 the dramatic culmination of various scandals in the cultural property and heritage community. To name just a few of the high-profile events: (1) armed robbery of four paintings by Van Gogh, Cezanne, Degas, and Monet from the Emil Bührle Foundation in Zurich, Switzerland; (2) restitutions of spectacular Etruscan objects from some of the most prestigious U.S. museums and elite collectors to Italy; (3) FBI raids on four California museums whose employees allegedly engaged in antiquities trafficking and the exchange of inflated appraisals for donations to perpetuate tax fraud; and (4) the death of archaeologist Roxanna Brown in FBI custody. These scandals did not arise in a vacuum. The law and ethics of the cultural property market is changing-dramatically. Those interested in cultural property will appreciate the value of some history to understand the current environment.
