The Monuments Men: Movie and Conference

"The Monuments Men" movie, based on Robert Edsel's book, premiers December 18 (UPDATE: Now February 7, 2014). Watch the trailer below.

Before viewing George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Cate Blanchett on the silver screen, examine the legacy of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program at a special conference to be held on Friday, November 1 at Fordham University Law School located at 113 W. 60th Street in Manhattan, New York.

American soldiers' efforts to protect works of art and cultural heritage during World War II emerged from a commitment rooted in Francis Lieber's code, authorized by President Abraham Lincoln, calling for protection of art and archives by Union soldiers during the Civil War. The Lieber Code set the stage for General Dwight Eisenhower's call during the Second World War to respect monuments of heritage as best as possible during conflict.  Following that war, the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict appeared on the global stage, a treaty as relevant today as it was sixty years ago.

The November 1 conference-- hosted by the Lawyers' Committee for Cultural Heritage Protection, Fordham Law School, and the American Society of International Law--seeks to:

• honor the monuments officers of WWII fame;

• review their successes and consider the legacy of their unfinished work;

• study more recent examples of prevention efforts in times of armed conflict;

• introduce efforts to address these problems currently being undertaken by museums and the art market, US armed forces, law enforcement and others; and

• consider the role of various media, including "The Monuments Men" film and internet resources, in publicizing the issue and raising cultural awareness.

Register online here. Admission includes the conference, breakfast, lunch, coffee, and cocktail reception.

This post is researched, written, and published on the blog Cultural Heritage Lawyer Rick St. Hilaire at culturalheritagelawyer.blogspot.com. Text copyrighted 2010-2013 by Ricardo A. St. Hilaire, Attorney & Counselor at Law, PLLC. Any unauthorized reproduction or retransmission of this post is prohibited. CONTACT INFORMATION: www.culturalheritagelawyer.com