ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS The Efficacy of the Association of Art Museum Directors Online Antiquities Registry

Abstract

High-profile international legal suits and the gradual establishment of legal precedence for repa-triation cases in the U.S. under the National Stolen Property Act and the Cultural Property Implementation Act of 1983 have coincided with the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) adopting codes of ethics and recommended guidelines for member museum acquisi-tions. When the AAMD Subcommittee on the Acquisition of Archaeological Materials and Ancient Art issued its 2008 report, it established the online Registry of New Acquisitions of Archaeological Material and Works of Ancient Art to help member museums efficiently dis-seminate information about recent acquisitions with incomplete provenance. This is the first systematic analysis of its contents. Using data from 325 listings (as of January 2012) by eleven participating institutions, this paper argues that museums are not sufficiently vigilant about following the AAMD’s 2008 guidelines. ii