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Cultural heritage in danger

Museum acquisitions under fire

News reports

Many museums publish acquisition policies, and they abide by standards such as the International Council of Museums Code of Ethics for Museums. As non-profit corporations, museums also follow state charitable trust laws, which are designed to instill public confidence. SAFE believes that members of museums should begin asking questions of the institutions they support to find out if the museum's acquisition and accession policies diverge from commonly accepted ethical standards. SAFE also believes that attorneys general in the USA have a responsibility to guarantee that museums formed for charitable purposes operate in conformity with the public interest.

The best museums use due diligence and good faith to:

  • discover whether an item is missing or stolen,
  • learn whether an item is legally present in the United States,
  • ascertain whether an item was illegally removed from its place of origin,
  • ensure that an item was scientifically excavated,
  • actively question an item's provenance and make conspicuously available for public inspection its complete and accurate provenance, and
  • produce and publish records of each step taken throughout the acquisition  process.

SAFE created SAFE Tours to inform the public about the illicit antiquities trade and to show how deficient museum acquisition practices diminish our knowledge of history and imperil our shared cultural heritage. In the wake of the current criminal investigation and resulting prosecutions, SAFE encourages members of the public and attorneys general in the United States--who serve as caretakers of non-profit institutions, which include museums--to ask museums to discuss their acquisition policies and procedures.

Making sure that an item is legal and that it retains its scientific and historical value helps furthers the museum's educational mission while preserving public trust. Find out today from your museum if it is following ethical standards.

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“Unless leading museums, who are widely seen as the keepers of the public conscience in this area, can be persuaded to adopt more exacting standards and to end their cozy and acquiescent relationships with private collectors, it is likely that the looting will continue undiminished.”

Neil Brodie and Colin Renfrew

Statue of Aprhodite

J. Paul Getty Trust

Statue of Apollo

J. Paul Getty Trust

Kantharos cup

J. Paul Getty Trust

Euphronios Krater

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

An ancient plate from Sicily


Italian Carabinieri/Associated Press

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