International Symposium 2023
Art Transportation in Times of War and Peace
November 9-10, 2023
International Symposium of the Centre for Art Market Studies in cooperation with the Department of Digital Provenance at Technische Universität Berlin and the Berlinische Galerie – Museum für Moderne Kunst
Downloads
- Recording of the panel discussion “Krieg in Europa – Art Handling” (in German), which took place on November 9, 2023 (live recording, not an edited podcast version).
- Presentation of Thomas Steinruck, Art Transportation in Times of War and Peace, Introduction, November 10, 2023
- Booklet Fokum Symposium 2023
- CFP Fokum Symposium 2023
In the 1950s, the planned construction of the Aswan High Dam threatened the accessibility and architectural integrity of Ramses II’s two temples at Abu Simbel. As a world wide joint project, the temples were dismantled and rebuilt on a higher plateau between 1963 and 1968. Source: Forskning & Framsteg 3, 1967, p. 161 / Wikimedia Commons.
Transporting art and cultural heritage in times of war and peace may have in all its contexts its unique motivations. Reasons for doing so include art protection, exhibitions, art trade and sales, (inter-)cultural exchange, preservation and conservation, repatriation, art theft and plundering as well as research and study.
The transportation of art, artifacts, and cultural heritage should always involve careful planning, support, and execution to safeguard these valuable and often irreplaceable items, may it be in times of war or peace. Transportation processes should adhere to strict conservation standards to minimize the risk of damage or loss during transit. But have those standards always existed? And do those processes significantly differ between times of peace and times of war due to the varying risks, challenges and motivations posed by conflict and violence?
The conference aims to bring together scholars, researchers, curators, restorers, (museum) experts and practitioners to explore on a global scale issues surrounding “how” transportation of art, artifacts, and cultural heritage is planned, supported and finally carried out, as well as all specific aspects around moving art during situations of war and peace.
PROGRAMME
TURSDAY, 9 NOVEMBER 2023
Berlinische Galerie (with registration by 7 November 2023)
Panel Discussion (in German): Krieg in Europa – Art Handling
Arrival of relief goods at the Khanenko Museum, Kyiv, March 2022; Image: Ukraine Art Aid Center.
| 17:30 | Registration / Admission |
| 18:15 |
Welcome: Birgitta Müller-Brandeck (Berlinische Galerie) On the podium:
Moderation:
Due to limited space, registration is required by 7 November 2023. The panel discussion will be audio recorded. |
FRIDAY, 10 NOVEMBER 2023
Technische Universität Berlin (online, TUB-Zoom)
https://tu-berlin.zoom.us/j/64741410645
International Symposium (in English): Art Transportation in Times of War and Peace
| 10:00 | Welcome: Meike Hopp, Berlin Introduction: Thomas Steinruck, Zurich | Dorothee Wimmer, Berlin |
Session 1 – Customs Regulations, Challenges and Techniques
Chair: Dorothee Wimmer, Berlin
| 10:30 | Alice Martignon, Venice The Transportation of Cultural and Archaeological Heritage from Venice to Foreign Countries (1866-1907) |
| 11:00 | Mathilde Sigalas, Geneva From Local Transportation to International Shipping: the Trajectories of the Ur Antiquities during the British Mandate over Iraq (1922-1932) |
| 11:30 | Tereza Johanidesová, Prague “How to Move an Immovable Monument?” Cooperation with UNESCO for the Transfer of a Church in the North Bohemian Town of Most |
| 12:00 | Lunch Break |
Session 2 – Insurance, Law and Economics
Chair: Thomas Steinruck, Zurich
| 13:30 | Paul Franke, Marburg/Berlin „Put the Giorgione in a Trunk and Presto!“ Clandestine Art Transportation in the 19th and 20th Century |
| 14:00 | Avigail Moss, London “Excluding War Risks”: Insuring Art in and out of Conflict in the early 20th Century |
| 14:30 | Romane Spirin, Paris The Refuge System for Museum Collections in the Event of Armed Conflict |
| 15:00 | Coffee Break |
Session 3 – Art Protection in World War II
Chair: Meike Hopp, Berlin
| 15:30 | Mattia Biffis, Messina/Rome “Arduous Operations”: the Transportation of Titian’s Assunta in 1941 |
| 16:00 | Victoria Marquez-Feldman, Paris/Buenos Aires The “Custodianship” of French Artwork in the United States, 1939-1945: a Unique Heritage Protection System |
| 16:30 | Ulrike Schmiegelt-Rietig, Potsdam The Collections of the State Palaces and Gardens (Berlin) 1936-1945: Semblance of Normality and Protective Measures |
| 17:00 | Final Remarks |
Concept
Meike Hopp, Thomas Steinruck, Dorothee Wimmer and Gabriele Zöllner
Organiser
Centre for Art Market Studies in cooperation with the Department of Digital Provenance at Technische Universität Berlin and the Berlinische Galerie – Museum für Moderne Kunst
