Art Collection Ethics

The full schedule for our 2026 training program, Provenance Research Today: Issues, Resources, and Networks, is now available. Join scholars, curators, attorneys, and researchers June 22–26 to explore provenance methods, restitution cases, and cultural heritage ethics.

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The return of the Hinematioro pou from the University of Tübingen to Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti shows how restitution can be guided by cultural and spiritual values, not just legal ownership. For the Māori community, the carving represents a living ancestor and a relationship restored.

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Jewish heirs are suing the Met over Camille Pissarro’s "Haystacks, Morning, Éragny" (1899), arguing it was sold under Nazi-era duress in 1941 by collector Max Julius Braunthal. The case highlights ongoing legal and ethical challenges surrounding Nazi-era restitution.

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The documentary Aanikoobijigan follows Indigenous efforts to reclaim ancestors from museums & universities, centering a Michigan campaign within a broader national struggle. It reframes repatriation as relationship, responsibility & healing amid ongoing institutional resistance.

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Alumni Spotlight |

“The resources and tools from the program have strengthened the research integrity of my cataloguing process.”

After attending Provenance Research Today, Jaden Katz (ACE ’25) now leads 19th-Century European Paintings at Sotheby’s NY.

June 22–26, 2026
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The Jewish Digital Cultural Recovery Project Foundation expanded its Documentation of Persecuted Jewish Collectors list to 19 European countries. The project highlights the cultural contributions of Jewish collectors whose collections were systematically looted during the Nazi era.

Applications Now Open!

Join ACE at the University of Denver for *Provenance Research Today: Issues, Resources, and Networks.* | June 22–26, 2026

Interactive lectures, hands-on workshops, and legal/ethical case studies. On-campus certificate + virtual option.

Learn more & apply: buff.ly/ECaey3e

The French Senate has unanimously adopted a bill to simplify the restitution of colonial-era artifacts, responding to long-standing criticism that France’s case-by-case approach and the principle of "inalienability" of publicly held items has slowed restitution.

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The Musée du Louvre has released images showing damage to the crown of Empress Eugénie after it was dropped during last October’s high-profile heist. Diamond elements were bent/torn off, 1 gold eagle and about ten diamonds remain missing, and the Apollo Gallery is still closed.

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The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art will return three South Indian bronzes to the Government of India after provenance research confirmed illegal removal from temples; one work will remain on long-term loan.

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Tune in to Archaeological Institute of America’s talk, hosted by Brian I. Daniels and featuring Danyelle Means. In NAGPRA as a Path to Healing and Reciprocity, Means reframes NAGPRA not as a legal burden, but as an opportunity for healing, accountability, and relationship-building.

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Join us in welcoming Laura Elliff Cruz (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), Head of Collections at the School for Advanced Research’s Indian Arts Research Center (IARC), as part of our 2026 training program, Provenance Research Today: Issues, Resources, and Networks.

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Greece and China are deepening cultural ties with Journey to Ancient Greece, now open at the Liangzhu Museum after debuting at the Sanxingdui Museum. Featuring 160+ objects, the exhibition traces Greek civilization from prehistory to Alexander the Great and runs through 7/31, 2026.

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Dženan Jusufović warns that political blockades and institutional inaction have left hundreds of artworks looted during the 1990s wars untraced across Europe, undermining Bosnia and Herzegovina’s cultural heritage.

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Cornell College has returned a Mississippian funerary statue to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation after an undergraduate thesis revealed it was taken from a Georgia burial site. The return marks a step toward healing and justice, with the statue set to be reburied near Etowah Mounds.

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Alongside these leaders, participants will engage with a network of leading provenance researchers, curators, and legal experts from across the field.

Apply by March 29 at 11:59 PM MDT to be considered for the in-person postgraduate certificate program.

Learn more and apply at buff.ly/teYmn8l

Program led by:
• Antonia Bartoli, Curator of Provenance Research, Yale University Art Gallery
• Elizabeth Campbell, Professor of History, Founding Director, Center for Art Collection Ethics (ACE), U of Denver
• Carlee S. Forbes, Associate Curator of African and Oceanic Art, Baltimore Museum of Art

Meet the Program Leaders | Provenance Research Today: Issues, Resources, and Networks
June 22–26, 2026

Get to know the program leaders guiding our 2026 training program designed for graduate students and museum or art-market professionals seeking to deepen their understanding of provenance research

Twelve artifacts collected in the 1920s by German envoy Franz Weiss have been returned to Ethiopia with the agreement of their descendants. Ethiopian officials hailed the repatriation to the Institute of Ethiopian Studies as a milestone in protecting national heritage.

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ICYMI: Belgium faces renewed scrutiny over Nazi-looted art as CD&V calls for stronger provenance research and national restitution mechanisms. The push follows Ghent’s MSK museum refusing to return a looted painting to heirs of Jewish dealer Samuel Hartveld.

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DARCA, a free ethics tool from the Uehiro Oxford Institute and the Institute of Art and Law, helps museums assess the moral strength of restitution claims, guiding users through ethical questions, value, access, and care to support transparent, case-by-case decision-making.

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Our keynote speaker is Bradley Gordon, founder of Edenbridge Asia, discussing the repatriation of Cambodian cultural heritage.

Additional speakers include professionals from the Yale University Art Gallery, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, Baltimore Museum of Art, and J. Paul Getty Museum.

Join us to take part in:
• Interactive lectures with provenance researchers, attorneys, and curators
• Workshops on archival research and writing provenance narratives
• Legal and ethical frameworks for restitution and cultural stewardship
• Case studies covering a variety of contexts

Applications Open! Provenance Research Today: Issues, Resources, and Networks, June 22–26, 2026

Twenty students selected for an on-campus certificate. Virtual (non-certificate) attendees may register for select sessions, with recordings available for one year.

Learn more & apply at buff.ly/vgbTJ3n

Duke Law student Nicole Braun is tracing the 200-year ownership history of a Greek amphora at Duke’s Nasher Museum, using art law and archival research to uncover provenance gaps and ensure ethical collecting—showing how law, history, and accountability intersect in museums.
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The Penn Museum has reopened its Native North America Gallery, co-developed with eight Indigenous consulting curators. Featuring 250+ objects, first-person storytelling, and an empty case acknowledging repatriation, the show centers Indigenous history, continuity, and community.
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Nine antiquities at the San Antonio Museum of Art are being returned to Italy under a 2023 U.S. agreement. A marble head of Hermes will go back immediately, while eight objects stay on loan until 2030—spotlighting ongoing debates over repatriation and museum stewardship.
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Instructors: Antonia Bartoli, Curator of Provenance Research, Yale University Art Gallery and Carlee S. Forbes, Associate Curator of African and Oceanic Art, Baltimore Museum of Art

Speakers include: Bradley J. Gordon, Tess Davis, Joanna M. Gohmann, Laura Elliff Cruz, Judith Barr, and Daniel Healey

Save the date! We are offering a #provenance research training program June 22 - 26, 2026. Certificate program on campus, non-certificate virtually. Applications for the certificate program open by early February!

Stay tuned! Information on past programs is available at buff.ly/mGmVUbs

The US has returned four looted bronze Buddha and Bodhisattva statues to Thailand after they were smuggled more than 60 years ago and later displayed in San Francisco. The repatriation followed years of investigation between Thai authorities, the museum and US officials.

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