Antiquities Trafficking Research Articles

Cultural Security: The Evolving Role of Art in International Security

By examining the historically progressive role of cultural property in terrorism and political violence, this paper reveals the evolving significance of art to international security. Over the past two centuries, abuse of antiquities and fine art has evolved from the spoils-of-war into a medium for conducting terrorism that strives to erase the cultural heritage of “the other.” In contrast to wartime destruction and plunder which date back millennia, the growth of the art market over the past fifty years has created opportunities for novel abuses of cultural property. Since World War II, maturing international awareness has recognized the threat which armed conflict and looting pose to cultural property, but in parallel, art trafficking and the politics of cultural property have become tools for transnational organized crime and terrorist groups. The resulting unique intersection of issues in art, politics, and counterterrorism forms the basis for a new field—cultural security. After an assessment of topical security threats which suggest the need for such a field, the paper concludes by speculating on international-security risks precipitating from antiquities trafficking and collecting.

The Color of Silver: William Spratling, His Life and ArtThe Silver Gringo: William Spratling and Taxco

The Color of Silver: William Spratling, His Life and ArtThe Silver Gringo: William Spratling and Taxco

Science Sleuthing Uncovers "Ancient" Ceramics as Modern

For nearly two decades, until he was jailed in 1974, a master Mexican ceramist plied his trade, crafting hundreds of pieces. So skillful were his interpretations of what is known as the monumental Veracruz style of the late Classic period (from 600 to 900 AD) that experts deemed his sculpture authentic pre-Columbian art. His skill landed him in jail not for forging but for trafficking in antiquities, a crime in Mexico of which he was eventually exonerated. The ceramist's skill is still causing reverberations. Over time his convincing works found their way into major public and private collections around the world. They were often reproduced in textbooks and catalogs as fine examples of pre- Columbian art from the Veracruz area of Mexico. And they would have remained labeled as authentic antiquities had the 47-year-old ceramist Brigido Lara not broken his silence in an interview with two reporters from Connoisseur magazine. As a result, museums and collectors began ...