MACCH Annual Conference: Trust and Transparency in the Art and Heritage World and its Practices.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the 1970 UNESCO “Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property”, as well as the 25th anniversary of the 1995 UNIDROIT “Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects”. In celebration of these anniversaries, MACCH hosts its annual, transdisciplinary conference in collaboration with the Dutch UNESCO commission – parallel to and in direct vicinity to The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF).

The conference will take place from 15 to 17 March 2020 at Hotel NH, Maastricht (next to MECC/TEFAF).

For more information, please visit the conference website.

Arts and heritage practices thrive on trust. Yet, trust in the arts and heritage world appears to be waning due to a lack of transparency. Recent accusations concern the illicit excavation and trafficking of antiquities, as well as assumed linkages between the art market and money laundering, or even the financing of terrorist activities. Scandals have also involved the sale of various fakes and forgeries in much respected galleries, supported by authenticity declarations of notable experts.

These scandals and accusations have already triggered new legislative actions enforced on national and international levels. Some market actors consider these measures burdensome and overly bureaucratic, while officials claim that even more regulation and restriction is necessary. Although the majority of transactions are considered to be legitimate, governments and law enforcement agencies around the world assert that the looting, trafficking and illicit sale in cultural goods remains substantial.

In addition to challenges due to illicit activities, museums and private collectors face restitution and return claims concerning objects that have been looted, confiscated or sold under duress in the past, specifically during the Holocaust and as a result of colonialism. While discussion and debate of rightful ownership, as well as legal and ethical claims regarding these objects, are often perceived to create insecurity for museums, art dealers and private collectors, they also challenge public bodies such as restitution commissions and courts to create trust and offer transparency in their quest for just and fair solutions.

These challenges raise important questions concerning trust and transparency in arts and heritage practices today. How can trust in arts and heritage practices be (re-)established? What forms of opacity are there in arts and heritage practices, and what are the possible benefits of increased transparency for the art and heritage world?