19-20 March 2023: MACCH Annual Conference 'Provenance, Restitution and Return'

On Sunday 19 March and Monday 20 March 2023 MACCH organised its annual conference. This year the title of the conference was ‘Provenance, Restitution and Return’.

On Sunday the presentations mainly focussed on Nazi looted art. From the beginning of the 21st century a number of countries have set up restitution committees and implemented new policies to hear restitution demands relating to Nazi looted art. The lectures analysed the policies and functioning of these committees and analysed in how far these policies can be applied to the return of cultural goods taken by Western European nations from their former colonies. On Sunday evening a book launch of the Maastricht Book Series ‘Studies in Art, Heritage, Law and the Market’ was held. The series is published by Springer.

The presentations on Monday mainly focussed on the practical problems related to the return of colonial cultural goods and the provenance research that is needed and is being done to facilitate return claims. The latter half of Monday was devoted to art looting by the Soviets, and current cases of art looting in Ukraine.

It was great to see so many experts and researchers come together to discuss important issues related to the repatriation of stolen or looted artifacts. The conference provided a platform for meaningful conversations and valuable insights into these complex topics, and we hope everyone left feeling inspired and motivated to continue working towards a more equitable and just future for cultural heritage. A special thank you to all who participated and made this conference such a success!

MACCH is very grateful for the financial support offered by the University Fund SWOL and for the patronage of the Unesco Netherlands Committee.