IFAR Updates Website

Fellow appraiser Judith Vance, ASA just sent news that the International Foundation for Art Research (IFAR) has updated its website with two new areas of interest for appraisers. The first is a new section on Art Law and Cultural Property. The other new section is on catalogues raisonnes, including a search engine for both existing and planned catalogues. The catalogues page allows for several different types of searches and database queries.

The IFAR Art Law and Cultural Property page has two sections, Property Ownership and Export Legislation, and Case Law and Statutes. The site and new page additions are worth taking a look at by appraisers.

The IFAR site states the Property Ownership and Export Legislation section contains legislation governing the export and ownership of cultural property from dozens of countries. The legislation is presented in both summary form and as complete text; the latter in the original language and in translation. Selected historical legislation is also included, as, while superseded or amended, it can be useful for researchers looking for statutes applicable at the time of the acquisition, export or import of an art object. Links connect foreign legislation to relevant U.S. case law. There are also links to relevant international conventions and bilateral agreements.

Also included is Country Contacts, information on the government official(s) in each country to whom a query regarding the legality of acquiring a work can be addressed.

The Case Law section includes an extensive body of primarily U.S. case law, including both litigated cases and, notably, hard-to-find, out-of-court settlements. The material is organized under eight topics: World War II-Era/Holocaust Related Art Loss; Cultural Property (Antiquities) Disputes Over Non-United States Property; United States Cultural Property; Art Theft (other than World War II and cultural property looting); Other Ownership Title Disputes/Claims Including Conversion and Breach of Contract; Art Fraud, Attribution, Authenticity, Forgery, Libel, and Defamatory Statements; Valuation/Appraisal; and Copyright, Moral Rights and Other Issues.

Under each topic, relevant cases are summarized (where possible, with images of the art objects in question). There are also links to relevant U.S. statutes, foreign legislation and a glossary. Additional links will be added.

To visit the IFAR site, click HERE.