Art and cultural property have held a special significance for humankind for centuries. Collectors derive pleasure from the art or cultural property’s aesthetic and emotive value. Creators see the art or cultural property as an expression of their thoughts, feelings, creativity and personality, as well as a means of income. Finally, states and communities perceive such works as a documentation of their heritage, history, and legacy. In granting artists moral rights, and protecting art and cultural property from theft and destruction, we are preserving the value these actors place on these works.

Three panels of distinguished experts will aim to identify the ways in which the international legal discourse has, and has not, contributed to this endeavor through resale royalty rights, protection and preservation mechanisms enumerated in international agreements and national legislation, and restitution and repatriation practices, among others.

WilmerHale Partner David Bowker will moderate the panel "Restoring What Was Lost: Issues with Restitution and Repatriation."