Art laws cast doubt over Russian exhibition in UK

An exhibition of Russian paintings in London scheduled for January could be cancelled. Officials are worried that without proper legal protection some of the 19th century paintings could be seized while outside Russia.

Earlier, the British press reported that the paintings may be retained due to law suits from the heirs of their previous proprietors, who owned them before the Russian Revolution of 1917. British law doesn’t guarantee automatic immunity to works of art if a third party lays claim to them. 

Mikhail Piotrovsky, the State Hermitage Museum Director, says he hopes the show will go ahead, as it took organisers three years of negotiations to persuade the Russian museums to lend their paintings for the exhibition.  

“There is a danger for museums all over the world when they stage exhibitions, because there are many different kinds of law suits against museums all over the world from countries, persons and so on. So because of this, there is legislation called ‘immunity from seizure’ in many countries, which protects all cultural objects in exhibitions and other events. Without this, the exhibition will not go to London, Switzerland, China or any other place. As for the British Government, I think we will get the proper guarantees from lawyers,” Mr Piotrovsky commented.    

On November 27, The House of Lords is to discuss a bill on the protection from seizure of all works of art lent to exhibitions in Britain. If the bill is passed, it will put an end to all disputes on this issue and, hopefully, will ensure that the exhibition goes ahead as planned.