Stolen Art Alert

New Zealand’s attempt to repossess the front of a Maori chief's storehouse, stolen in 1972, was defeated on appeal in the British High Court of Justice. The court ruled that the New Zealand government could not claim forfeiture after the object had left New Zealand. Subsequent 1975 legislation vests title to all Maori antiquities in the crown, giving the government title to all unexported artifacts

Kraushaar Gallery issues alert on fake labels on fake American paintings or watercolors. A fake Glackens and a fake Benton have so far been found with the fake Kraushaar Gallery labels.

Senate bill (S. 1723), to implement the 1970 UNESCO Convention on Cultural Property, was reported out of the Senate Finance Committee September 15, 1982, with the crucial support of Senator Moynihan. It has been incorporated into H.R. 4566, a customs-related bill. Reports are that a bill is being drafted to modify the impact of the McClain decision. (See also SAA, No. 9, November 1981).

Catholic priest, Rev. Lorenzo Zorzo, gets probation for trying to import two stolen Italian Renaissance paintings into U.S.