house Bill H.R. 889
Should Congress Protect Foreign Art Collections From Legal Claims?
Argument in favor
Strengthens the ability of U.S. museums to borrow foreign art and cultural artifacts by making it harder for individuals and organizations to claim that art in a collection is theirs. Letting more people see the work is more important than who actually owns it.
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01/23/2017
This Bill is about works on loan only, not artworks all together. This pretty much allows the US to display more art to more people without going into disputes. Plus it accounts for works taken against international law, so there are cases where works could be returned. The US should not be handling the disputes of others.
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03/26/2016
These works are safer in museums. Just look at what ISIS has done to world landmarks!
Argument opposed
The heirs of artists have a right to works taken unjustly, as do private collectors who lost pieces in catastrophes. This bill would have the government supporting pirated goods, while snubbing the rightful owners.
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04/08/2015
Swiper, no swiping! Let's not reward those who steal from others by protecting them.
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04/01/2016
If it doesn't "belong" to us, why would we want it? It just seems grotesque and illegal to play "finders keepers" with priceless art.
04/07/2015
The owners of these works have rights to them. If the owners want to display them later, that decision should be made by them.
Swiper, no swiping! Let's not reward those who steal from others by protecting them.
If it doesn't "belong" to us, why would we want it? It just seems grotesque and illegal to play "finders keepers" with priceless art.
The owners of these works have rights to them. If the owners want to display them later, that decision should be made by them.
This Bill is about works on loan only, not artworks all together. This pretty much allows the US to display more art to more people without going into disputes. Plus it accounts for works taken against international law, so there are cases where works could be returned. The US should not be handling the disputes of others.
These works are safer in museums. Just look at what ISIS has done to world landmarks!
In the not unlikely event that a given artwork was acquired illegally or immorally, public and private institutions that produce cultural/financial profits through exhibiting these artworks should not be protected from litigation
If your family had an expensive asset stolen from you, wouldn't you want to be able to regain it?
First, the heirs of artists have the right to the works. Second, there are so many more important issues to deal with; could we please deal with those?
This isn't our responsibility and we don't have the money to spend on this. Period!
Many art works were stolen by the Nazis in WWll. Many holocaust victims may be gone, but there are family members who may still be looking for items. If they can show provenance, they should decide what to do with the art work.
If a claim is just, it will stand in a court of law. There are significant thefts of art yo substantiate such claims.
If it is private property and particularly foreign held then where does our government impinge?
With all the copyright laws in our country, this is a no brainier.
It should be known that art is very important to many people.