US Museums are joining forces with the Syrian Interim Government’s Heritage Task Force to assist in the preservation of the country’s cultural heritage against the tide of its ongoing civil war, training civilians in preservation techniques and strategies for securing important art objects and artifacts.  “Local communities are best equipped to identify heritage in need of preservation and protection, and this is precisely what is happening in Syria,” says Richard Leventhal, the executive director of the Penn Cultural Heritage Center. (more…)

The  New York Times writes on the ongoing contention between the nation of Turkey and the J. Paul Getty Museum over a number of potentially looted items currently held in the American museum’s collection, highlighting the difficult issues at play in repatriation claims.  While many museums are speeding up their processing of these claims, many factors must be taken into account before handing over past property.  “Museums must untangle a lot of knots before making such an irrevocable decision,” said Stephen K. Urice, an expert on cultural heritage law at the University of Miami School of Law in Florida. (more…)

Controversially held for centuries outside of China, two bronze zodiac statues looted from Beijing’s summer palace were returned by François-Henri Pinault on Friday.  The Christie’s owner first promised to return the heads in April, during a visit to the country by president Hollande and a number of ranking French businessmen.  “This donation is a token of our family’s appreciation for China as well as our passion for the preservation of art and cultural heritage,” Mr. Pinault said in a statement. (more…)