Museum malpractice as corporate crime? The case of the J. Paul Getty Museum

Brodie, Neil; Proulx, Blythe Bowman

doi:10.1080/0735648x.2013.819785

Cited by 19 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…For Gerstenblith (2003), museums that acquire objects of doubtful or unknown origin are breaching their fiduciary obligations to the rest of society. Brodie and Proulx (2014) write of a "criminogenic museum culture" as a consequence of competitiveness and the spectacularization of culture to which it leads. As already noted several times, without new pieces, without masterpieces with which to put together groundbreaking shows, these institutions would not meet the expectations set for them.…”

Section: The Debate Between Objects and Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forensic Archaeometry Applied to Antiquities Trafficking: The Beginnings of an Investigation at the Frontiers of Knowledge

Temiño

Yáñez

Villar

et al. 2018

Arts

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For most of its history, archaeology has too often taken an indulgent attitude toward looting and antiquities trafficking. The primary response to these dangers has been to publish the main findings made outside of academia. As a result of this approach and the prominent role played by police techniques in investigating such crimes, investigations are primarily based on documentary research. This approach makes it harder to determine such essential factors in this field as an object’s collecting history or discovery date. This paper proposes new ways of studying collecting history, drawing on research projects on the use of archaeometry to shed light on cases of looting or trafficking involving police, court, or government intervention; hence, its qualification as “forensic”. Although the current state of knowledge does not enable the presentation of novel research, we believe that researchers and interested institutions should be made aware of the advisability of using archaeometry more directly in the fight against these scourges.

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Section: The Debate Between Objects and Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forensic Archaeometry Applied to Antiquities Trafficking: The Beginnings of an Investigation at the Frontiers of Knowledge

Temiño

Yáñez

Villar

et al. 2018

Arts

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show abstract

“…Others have written, however, in support of museums and scholars who collect and research objects 'without knowledge of their exact provenance' (Boardman, 2007: 39), dismissing arguments that this assists the illicit trade in antiquities, and warning that the alternative of not publishing or researching objects unless their exact find spot data are known, would ultimately cause more loss to scholarship than it would save. In spite of such arguments, the collaboration of professionals, such as academic researchers and museum curators, with individuals such as private collectors and dealers of cultural objects will continue to attract controversy and criticism, and even contribute, in some cases, to criminal activity (Brodie & Proulx, 2014). Therefore, while collaboration may be appealing as a form of damage limitation, it is also arguable that a line must be drawn in the sand with regard to when this approach actually becomes unacceptable.…”

Section: Collaboratingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Collaborate, Condemn, or Ignore? Responding to Non-Archaeological Approaches to Archaeological Heritage

Thomas

2015

Eur. j. archaeol.

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What do archaeologists do when approached by groups or individuals with unorthodox, or even simply inappropriate, approaches to, and ideas about the past? What should they do? While much guidance and literature points to education and engagement, in some of the more sensitive or difficult cases it is often more appealing, and simpler, to ignore the issue, in the hopes that it will simply go away. Similarly, on occasions when archaeologists step forward to criticize alternative approaches to archaeological heritage, this does not always meet with positive or desired results. In this paper, in light of recent personal experience with a controversial piece of television programming, I discuss different approaches to responding to challenges to the expertise (and authority) of archaeologists by problematic encounters with concepts of the past. I suggest that while there are arguments in support of (and against) all three of the approaches that I identify (collaboration, condemnation, or ignoring), none provide an absolute solution. In order to discuss these approaches, I draw upon key cases from the literature, as well as personal reflection.

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“…Bowman, 2008;Brodie and Bowman, 2014;Brodie et al, 2013;Chappell and Polk, 2009;Mackenzie, 2007Mackenzie, , 2011Mackenzie and Green, 2008;Polk, 2000) the particulars of the market-end dealing and collection of illicitly trafficked rare orchids have not been similarly assessed. We suggest that despite significant differences in how they are governed in law and researched in criminology, orchid and antiquities trafficking and collecting can be identified as having striking similarities on basic sociological levels including motivation, patterns of activity, practical ethics, geographical reach and social and cultural structures supporting economic supply and demand.…”

Section: The Study and Regulation Of Trafficking In Illicit Orchids Amentioning

confidence: 99%

Collectors on illicit collecting: Higher loyalties and other techniques of neutralization in the unlawful collecting of rare and precious orchids and antiquities

Yates¹

2017

Preprint

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Trafficking natural objects and trafficking cultural objects have been treated separately both in regulatory policy and in criminological discussion. The former is generally taken to be 'wildlife crime' while the latter has come to be considered under the auspices of a debate on 'illicit art and antiquities'. In this article we study the narrative discourse of high-end collectors of orchids and antiquities. The illicit parts of these global trades are subject to this analytical divide between wildlife trafficking and art trafficking, and this has resulted in quite different regulatory structures for each of these markets. However, the trafficking routines, the types and levels of harm involved, and the supplydemand dynamics in the trafficking of orchids and antiquities are actually quite similar, and in this study we find those structural similarities reflected in substantial common ground in the way collectors talk about their role in each market. Collectors of rare and precious orchids and antiquities valorize their participation in markets that are known to be in quite considerable degree illicit, appealing to 'higher loyalties' such as ArticleMackenzie and Yates 341 preservation, appreciation of aesthetic beauty and cultural edification. These higher loyalties, along with other techniques of neutralization, deplete the force of law as a guide to appropriate action. We propose that the appeal to higher loyalties is difficult to categorize as a technique of neutralization in this study as it appears to be a motivational explanation for the collectors involved. The other classic techniques of neutralization are deflective, guilt and critique reducing narrative mechanisms, while higher loyalties drives illicit behaviour in collecting markets for orchids and antiquities in ways that go significantly beyond the normal definition of neutralization.

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Museum malpractice as corporate crime? The case of the J. Paul Getty Museum

Cited by 19 publications

References 20 publications

Forensic Archaeometry Applied to Antiquities Trafficking: The Beginnings of an Investigation at the Frontiers of Knowledge

Forensic Archaeometry Applied to Antiquities Trafficking: The Beginnings of an Investigation at the Frontiers of Knowledge

Collaborate, Condemn, or Ignore? Responding to Non-Archaeological Approaches to Archaeological Heritage

Collectors on illicit collecting: Higher loyalties and other techniques of neutralization in the unlawful collecting of rare and precious orchids and antiquities

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