Training details how art and antiquities are entwined with organized crime and corruption

The UNCAC Coalition unites members from 140 countries and facilitates the implementation of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) to combat corruption around the globe.

Criminals around the world exploit the art market to carry out crimes from fraud to forgery, tax evasion, money laundering, and sanctions violations. Cultural racketeering is not just a threat to our shared history, but to the legitimate art market, human rights, national economies, and global security. 

This month, the Antiquities Coalition convened a team of world leaders in criminology, security, and defense studies. Their joint expertise represents the latest advances in the fight against cultural racketeering and organized crime. We are grateful to Dr. Donna Yates, Dr. Layla Hashemi, and Mr. Francesco Pagano for their contributions. 

From numerous case studies and accounts of financial crimes involving cultural property, participants gained a richer understanding of the global scope of the persistent threat posed by an unregulated art and antiquities market.

Director of Programs Helena Arose closed the event, with this affirmation: 

“The interlinked issues of corruption and cultural racketeering requires collaboration across industries, across the public and private sectors, and across national borders.”

Since joining the UNCAC Coalition in 2023, the Antiquities Coalition made significant progress in adding  crime involving art and antiquities to the agenda of UNCAC.

The AC was proud to co-host a session at the 2023 UNCAC Conference for State Parties titled, “Cultural Racketeering & Corruption—Recommendations for UNCAC,” with the Italian Republic, the United Mexican States, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Read our blog on the conference proceedings, here.

The Antiquities Coalition looks forward to future collaboration with the UNCAC Coalition to muster joint strength in the fight against cultural racketeering and corruption.

The Mission of Norway to the UN, the Mission of France to the UN, the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, UNESCO, and The Soufan Center (TSC) at a convening in New York City to discuss “Investigating and Prosecuting the Destruction, Looting and Illicit Trade of Cultural Property Linked to Terrorism.” 

This closed-door policy event featured speakers from the organizing groups as well as the Penn Cultural Heritage Center, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Carabinieri TPC, the University of Kufa, and the Clooney Foundation for Justice. 

Together, experts highlight the need for prosecution for these serious crimes that threaten our shared heritage, national economies, and global security.

As an organization which has long advocated for accountability for crimes against culture, the Antiquities Coalition was pleased to be in attendance at this important discussion and to hear speakers affirm the need for prosecution for these serious crimes that threaten cultural heritage and–in some cases– finance terrorism.

Key takeaways included:

• Cultural heritage crimes are not victimless. They have documented links to funding terrorism and organized crime. However, they are often high-reward and low risk, making them a lucrative and convenient option for bad actors.
• Those engaged in these crimes see seizures, forfeitures, and repatriations as the cost of doing business. In one anecdote provided during the discussion, public legal trouble improved a traffickers business, as buyers knew their goods were authentic.
• Only convictions—including of market actors who provide demand—will affect change. Art dealers, auction houses, and collectors who knowingly engage in illegal transactions must be also held accountable in order to fight cultural racketeering. Learn more about the role law enforcement plays in combating art and antiquities trafficking.

The AC thanks the organizers and speakers for this important discussion.

Read the full report from the Soufan Center on this topic: https://thesoufancenter.org/investigating-and-prosecuting-the-destruction-looting-and-illicit-trade-of-cultural-property-linked-to-terrorism/ 

For more information, read the Clooney Foundation for Justice’s 2022 Report on the Need for Prosecuting Participants in the Illegal Antiquities Trade: https://cfj.org/reports/the-need-for-prosecuting-participants-in-the-illegal-antiquities-trade/

As the illicit trade in art and antiquities continues to threaten heritage globally, it is essential to promote creative solutions to preserve and protect our shared history. 

On May 22-23, the Antiquities Coalition joined global leaders at the fourth China-Europe-America (CEA) Museums Cooperation Dialogue to discuss museums’ essential role in safeguarding heritage.

Deborah Lehr, Chairman and Founder of the Antiquities Coalition, emphasized the creative potential of museums:

“Culture is a fundamental source of creativity. And as stewards of culture, museums have a unique ability to harness creativity. They also have a responsibility to safeguard our shared heritage from threats.”

As powerful intermediaries between global cultures, museums serve as facilitators of educational and material exchange. In this important role, museums must model high legal and ethical standards in their management of cultural materials. 

Executive Director Tess Davis shared recent successes and the marked potential of creative exhibitions, collaborative repatriations, and elevated best practices. She concluded,

“Fifty years later, museums are still key allies in the fight against the illicit trade in antiquities, and we are thrilled to see different ways they are serving as catalysts for creativity to inspire others to join the fight.”

The China-Europe-America Museums Cooperation Initiative is a community of experts, practitioners, artists, designers, entrepreneurs, and educators, whose mission is to find collaborative solutions for the world’s greatest challenges. The CEA has explored the multi-faceted world of museums— from technology in 2021, to preservation in 2022, and connectivity in 2023. Learn more about these events here.

These dialogues have fostered numerous publications, including a recent volume featuring AC Chairman and Founder Deborah Lehr on “The Role of Archaeology in the Relationship between China and the World.” Learn more and access the publication here.

A recent article from the New York Times questioned the current state of young art collectors and museum donors. In response, AC’s Director of Programs, Helena Arose, poses this question: Are the traditional values and old-school practices of the art world, long accepted as the norm, giving future collectors and donors cause for concern? 

The art market’s exemption from legal oversight has made it vulnerable to a wide range of financial crimes, threatening not just national security and economic integrity, but the vast majority of legitimate collectors, dealers, auction houses, and museums. Current practices risk turning away young art collectors and museum donors who may be uncomfortable with the blurred and opaque practices.

With eyes from the art world on young collectors,  Arose recommends they take action through the following:

• Support museums, auction houses, and galleries that uphold the highest standards of ethics and transparency
• Advocate for regulation of the American art market to safeguard against risk
• Ensure acquisitions are not just legal, but ethical 
• Champion contemporary local artists and buy art that is meant for sale while also supporting the community

With increased pressure from the public, collectors, and donors, the art market must change for the better or risk losing the next generation of buyers and supporters. From our buyer beware campaign to the Financial Crimes Task Force, the AC is committed to holding all those involved in the illicit trade of antiquities accountable for their role in cultural racketeering as we continue to lead the call for a responsible art market and trade practices.

“And to the art world – let this be another warning that urgent change is needed. If not – beware.” – Helena Arose, Director of Programs

Read Arose’s full article on LinkedIn and below, and follow Helena and the AC for more.

During conflict and instability, the preservation of cultural heritage often takes a backseat. However, for Yemen, a nation grappling with the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, it became critical to safeguard the country’s rich cultural legacy for future generations. 

The ongoing civil war has not only ravaged communities but also put Yemen’s ancient artifacts and archaeological sites at risk of looting and trafficking, exacerbating the devastation caused by the conflict. In 2023, the Republic of Yemen signed a bilateral cultural property agreement with the U.S., committing both countries to combating the illicit trade of antiquities. The agreement will ensure that undocumented objects from Yemen that may have been illegally obtained or exported will not cross U.S. borders. This agreement also helps the U.S. protect responsible American collectors, dealers, and museums from unknowingly contributing to the ongoing conflict in Yemen through the purchase of looted artifacts.

On April 30, Tess Davis, the AC’s Executive Director, participated in “A U.S.-Yemen Case Study in Safeguarding Antiquities and Cultural Heritage Amidst Conflict.” This event, hosted by the National Council on U.S.- Arab Relations, featured Davis alongside political leaders who are diligently working to resolve both the armed conflict and humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Participants included Timothy A. Lenderking, U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen, His Excellency Mohammed Al-Hadhrami, Ambassador of the Republic of Yemen to the United States, and Dr. Jeremie Schiettecatte, Research Fellow at the New York University Institute for Study of the Ancient World.

In his remarks, His Excellency Mohammed Al-Hadhrami underscores the importance of cultural heritage preservation, especially during conflict. The Ambassador also expressed his gratitude to Tess Davis and the AC, sharing how “the Antiquities Coalition helped us navigate this treacherous road from the beginning.” To this, Davis applauds the government of Yemen’s actions in protecting its heritage as it proves “once again the importance of culture to a nation’s identity and history, and how its preservation during times of conflict can provide a sense of continuity and hope for the future.”

In her remarks, Davis highlighted the urgent need for international cooperation in protecting Yemen’s cultural treasures. Davis emphasized that cultural heritage has become a weapon of war, with organized criminals and armed insurgents plundering and smuggling Yemen’s treasures for profit. Davis also shared recommendations that could make an impact in combating racketeering:

• Continue to recognize the illicit trade is a serious crime and not a victimless one
• Strengthen the legal framework to combat fraud, money laundering, sanctions evasion, and terrorist financing
• Follow the money and treat cultural racketeering as a financial crime
• Cultural racketeering can only be solved by strengthening law enforcement, international cooperation, and market integrity
• Cultural crimes are atrocity crimes in and of themselves and must be taken seriously by governments

In response to the ongoing cultural racketeering, the AC and the Republic of Yemen released records of 1,631 objects missing from the country’s museums in 2019. Recovering these “blood antiquities” will help Yemen protect its vibrant history. 

The Antiquities Coalition applauds the United States and Yemen for their leadership in protecting cultural heritage and looks forward to our continued collaboration in efforts to combat looting and cultural racketeering. 

Watch the webinar here.

On May 6, the elite of the fashion and artistic world graced the red carpet for the annual Met Gala, held, as customary at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met). The Antiquities Coalition marked the occasion with the second annual Looks vs. Loot – an ongoing initiative highlighting the rampant illicit trade in antiquities. This is an homage to cultural masterpieces returned from America’s largest art collection – the Met –  which are symbolically represented through the fashion on display at the Gala.

This year’s Gala theme, “The Garden of Time” is based on a short story by JG Ballard and believed to be a metaphor for the evolution of time. As an angry mob gathers to storm their home, Count Axel and his wife try to delay the inevitable with “time flowers” to turn back the clock. When the “disorganized tide” finally arrives, the Count and his wife are found as elegant statues gracing their beautiful garden for all time. 

The story ends at this point. Time does evolve, as Mr. Ballard points out, as does the ethics of society. Just imagine, in the period of Count Axel, the mob’s actions when they discovered the statues.

Would they destroy them, as did the Taliban with the Bamiyan Buddhas, to erase a part of history with which they disagreed? 

Or would they loot them and sell them to museums or collectors as we have seen in recent years, including after the Egyptian Revolution?

The Met Gala is all about art and style. And while the Met Museum is a fitting venue for hosting this glamourous evening, it should take note of the underlying message in the evening’s theme of the inevitability of change.

Today’s museums are responsible for setting legal and ethical standards for all who operate within the art market. In recent months, institutions like the Met have taken strides to improve policies and practices on ancient art and artifacts, increasing transparency and due diligence surrounding its collection. 

These important steps came after the Met was implicated in a series of scandals, disputes, law enforcement investigations, and even criminal prosecutions regarding its collection. A 2023 exposé from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) revealed that at least 1,109 pieces in the museum’s catalog have close ties to individuals indicted or convicted of antiquities crimes—309 of which remained on display. 

Institutions like the Met, with an endowment of $3.3 billion and an annual budget of around $300 million, should be the gold standard in the United States and even the world. Last May, the Met signaled a major shift in its approach to contested antiquities. Max Hollein, the Director of the Met, publicly committed to new policies to enhance transparency via a new provenance research team. This is a step in the right direction and part of the AC’s specific recommendations on how museums can stay vigilant against the illicit trafficking of antiquities.  

As the art market strives for greater transparency, the Antiquities Coalition celebrates these recent steps taken by the Met and looks forward to future steps the institution will take to right past actions.

Click through our favorite looks vs. loot from past Met Galas, comparing celebrity fashion statements with contested objects seized and returned from the Met’s collection.

At the 89th Society for American Archeology Annual Meeting, the AC’s Executive Director, Tess Davis, and Director of Programs, Helena Arose, hosted a luncheon roundtable with experts and law enforcement on cultural heritage preservation efforts. 

The event recognized that New Orleans has an important role to play in this fight. The city is home to several major museums, as well as some of the nation’s oldest antiques and antiquities galleries. But just as importantly, New Orleans is in the middle of the world’s largest port complex, which stretches 290 miles along the Mississippi River. While no longer the smugglers’ paradise of Jean Lafitte, all in the New Orleans’ legal, law enforcement, and arts communities should be on alert about the illicit antiquities trade.

With that goal in mind, the Antiquities Coalition brought together archaeologists, academics, and other subject matter experts with local law enforcement representatives to discuss methods of collaboration.

This meeting built on the forum hosted by the AC at the SAA Annual Meeting, which discussed  specific ways that American archaeologists can protect cultural heritage. Archeologists often have first-hand knowledge of any crimes against culture, as well as deep subject matter expertise on types of heritage, which can assist law enforcement in investigating and developing cases. Likewise, while archaeologists are cultural experts, they are not experts on fighting crime – therefore, law enforcement plays a critical role in addressing the criminal aspects of cultural racketeering.

The Antiquities Coalition thanks those who participated in the roundtable and looks forward to collaborating with experts across all disciplines and industries to preserve and protect cultural heritage. Learn how the AC is making strides to combat cultural racketeering.