Dr Summer Rose Austin
@summeraustin.bsky.social
Archaeologist researching cultural heritage crime, looting, trafficking, il/licit markets, museum ethics and law | 1st Gen PhD from @uclarchaeology.bsky.social | she/her No one is illegal on stolen land
👀 Israel condemned the designations of the Mount Amel Castles in Lebanon and the archaeological ruins of Sebastia in the Occupied West Bank, accusing UNESCO of “cynical exploitation of cultural heritage for political purposes.” hyperallergic.com/israel-incen...
Israel Incensed as UNESCO Adds Lebanese and West Bank Sites to World Heritage List
The Mount Amel Castles and the archaeological ruins of Sebastia are among six new heritage sites considered to be in danger.
hyperallergic.com
We are hiring! We are seeking to appoint a full-time Lecturer (Teaching) in Museum Studies to contribute to the teaching of core modules on the MA Museum Studies, develop new optional modules, support with dissertation supervision, and more! Find out more and apply: tinyurl.com/59ka25f3 #Hiring
Provenance research has become integral to art history and cultural heritage studies, but the provenance of written artefacts is still understudied. From 14–16 April 2027, we'll host a conference in Hamburg to help establish this field. The CfP and further information are now online:
Studying the Provenance of Written Artefacts: Methods, Ethics, and Law
Over the last decades, provenance studies have become an integral aspect of art history and cultural heritage studies. Yet, the provenance of written artefacts has remained understudied, even though t...
conferences.uni-hamburg.de
International organisations and Lebanese culture ministry issue warnings amid Israeli capture of Beaufort Castle and strikes on Tyre www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/06/10/i...
International organisations and Lebanese culture ministry issue warnings amid Israeli capture of Beaufort Castle and strikes on Tyre
Unesco has increased support following confirmed damage to protected archaeological sites across southern Lebanon
theartnewspaper.com
An absolute treasure trove of insights into the illicit trade, everything from money & provenance laundering, to museums behaving badly, to forged documents, and how the Tutankhamun blockbusters created a cultural of collecting that still influences the market now www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026...
The Mystery of the Golden Coffin
How did $65 million of allegedly stolen antiquities wind up in two of the world’s greatest museums?
theatlantic.com
The Artsakh Tourism and Cultural Development Agency shared the news of the church’s destruction on social media on Tuesday, April 21, only three days before the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. hyperallergic.com/azerbaijan-d...
Azerbaijan Destroys Armenian Holy Mother of God Church in Artsakh
Satellite imagery confirms that the regime demolished the church in Artsakh’s former capital city of Stepanakert.
hyperallergic.com
Yet another museum heist, this time in Italy www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/03/30/r...
Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse works stolen in ‘three-minute’ Italian museum heist
Italian police say that four hooded criminals broke into the Magnani-Rocca Foundation, housed in a rural villa south of Parma, on 22 March
theartnewspaper.com
Antiquities and archaeological heritage are central to Russia’s campaign to claim Ukrainian territory and identity, not just in Crimea but in other occupied Ukrainian territories. Ukraine, in response, has placed dozens of archaeologists working for Russia. www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/03/06/r...
Leading Russian archaeologist arrested in Poland over Crimean excavations
Ukraine has requested the extradition of the State Hermitage Museum’s Alexander Butyagin, who seized artefacts including ancient Greek coins
theartnewspaper.com
For Tardáguila, the case was simply swallowed by administrative routine. “Given the way Brazil protects its cultural heritage, something like this could happen again at any time,” she warns. www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/03/05/m...
Major Brazilian art heist still unsolved as statute of limitations expires
Paintings by Monet, Matisse, Dalí and Picasso were snatched in a cinematic heist from Rio de Janeiro’s Museu da Chácara do Céu in 2006
theartnewspaper.com
Seems to be a recurring issue at the BM but with what seems to be a very different response (criminial vs civil approach). www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/art...
Art thief stole 300 pieces from British Museum before he was caught
The former staff member used razors to scrape off labels on prints to avoid identification, before he was stopped as he left the museum with 35 works of art
thetimes.com
Come join me and the @uclarchaeology.bsky.social team! Teaching replacement post in Museum Studies, 1 year contract: www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
UCL – University College London
UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
ucl.ac.uk
www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/02/10/b...
Bill aimed at giving Israel control over all West Bank heritage sites sparks concern
Campaign groups have claimed the proposal violates international law, while Israel maintains it is about taking responsibility for and protecting Jewish heritage
theartnewspaper.com
www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/01/19/g...
Meet the global taskforce working to recover stolen cultural heritage
A reporter for The Art Newspaper has been on the scene with the Heritage Crime Task Force (HCTF), tracking, identifying and repatriating a wide variety of art and antiquities lost to crime and conflic...
theartnewspaper.com
Because trusting experts is bad? The lawyer for Galerie Kraemer expressed disappointment with the decision and said: “All dealers should be concerned that it only takes a couple of experts to raise doubts about dates to cancel the sale of such a marvelous object.” www.artnews.com/art-news/new...
Sale of Chinese Vase Canceled by French Court Over Question of Provenance
The sale of a Chinese vase to Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani was cancelled by a French court over questions about its provenance.
artnews.com
@dremilinesmith.bsky.social with some reflections on the British Museum's latest ploy hyperallergic.com/british-muse...
British Museum Launches Farcical “Decolonizing” Loan Program
Long-term loans to former colonies are not restitution. They do not acknowledge historical wrongdoing, nor do they restore agency to source communities.
hyperallergic.com
Looking forward to the engaging and inspiring conversations taking place at TAG 2025 @tag2025york.bsky.social.
Yet another museum theft, this time at Bristol museum www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Hundreds of items stolen in 'high-value' Bristol museum raid
More than 600 artefacts from the museum's British Empire and Commonwealth collection were taken.
bbc.co.uk
The legacies of colonialism and control are not confined to museums, they are evident in often overlooked aspects of life today. Yasmin Khans’ ordeal sheds light on how these legacies are still weaponised today. www.theguardian.com/food/comment...
I called my recipe book Sabzi – vegetables. But the name was trademarked. And my legal ordeal began
The granting of patents and trademarks to foods and words from the global south is part of a long colonial grab. It’s time to realise we share what we cook, and what we call it
theguardian.com
Receipts are about to come to light 🧾 www.artnews.com/art-news/new...
Cambodian Government Requests Records from Disgraced Art Historian and Denver Art Museum Board Member
Cambodia reached out to the family of Emma C. Bunker, an art historian who died in 2021 and who sat on the board of Denver Art Museum, for records.
artnews.com
