AAMD on the MOU with Greece

The AAMD has made available its two submissions to CPAC relating to the proposed MOU with Greece.
a. Statement of the Association of Art Museum Directors; Presented by Stephen J. Knerly, Jr.
b. Statement of the Association of Art Museum Directors; Presented by Larry Feinberg, Director Santa Barbara Museum of Art

Knerly sums up his paper:

As a result, the Committee should recommend that Greece’s request be tabled for further study. The Committee should thoroughly investigate whether the statutory requirements necessary for the imposition of the import restrictions sought by Greece can be satisfied. In addition, before an MOU can be adopted by the United States, extensive work will need to done in order to create a designated list that does not sweep objects from all over the Mediterranean world into an effective trade embargo that would preclude the entry into the United States of objects from an extensive list of countries. Finally, the Committee should recommend that, in the interim, Greece be required to demonstrate its willingness and ability to achieve specific goals for the protection of its cultural patrimony and to provide the opportunity for the temporary and long-term loan of objects to American museums.

Feinberg echoes Knerly's words:

The Committee should recommend that Greece’s request be tabled for further study. Finally, the Committee should recommend that, in the interim, Greece be required to demonstrate its commitment and ability to achieve specific goals for the protection of its cultural patrimony.

It would have been interesting to have heard a little more from Knerly and Feinberg on the unresolved dispute with Greece concerning a Minoan larnax in an AAMD institution.

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© David Gill