Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Thesis - Restricted Access (SIA Only)

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Art Business

First Advisor

Judith Prowda

Second Advisor

Betsy Thomas

Abstract

One of the major issues currently facing the international art community is repatriation, or the return of cultural property to its source nation or former owners. Currently, there is a call for objects to be repatriated to their source nations and many museums are contemplating their next course of action. Due to the discrepancies between how these claims are managed and the diversity of international legal standards and regulations, restitution cases are not solved by a single method. Efforts to address these claims by institutions have not been effective because they do not provide legally binding standards for institutions and are made on the assumption of “good faith.” To fully understand the issues currently dictating the way repatriation claims are handled, this paper uses the case of the Euphronios Krater as a starting point to investigate how and why these issues even occur. The paper provides a brief introduction to cultural property, the standards that currently exist in the form of international treaties, and the responsibilities of museums and their staff before offering a combination of solutions that aim to bridge the gap between cultural heritage institutions and the law. These solutions take a new approach of using museum-led initiatives that have legal repercussions.

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