30,545 research outputs found

    Forgers, connoisseurs, and the Nazi past

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    The authentication and accurate attribution of art can be a complex issue. Connoisseurship and ethics, politics and the media can get mixed in among the "active ingredients" that can obstruct efforts to correct scholarly misattribution in the sense of having mistaken the work for that of a master. The expertise of forgers Han van Meegeren and Wolfgang Beltracchi went way beyond artistic skill, technical skill, extensive knowledge of art history and the methods employed by the true masters. The connoisseurs who supplied the authentications were giving and receiving something in return, and this caused the ethical lines to blur. Political opportunism enabled van Meegeren to hide his sympathy for the Volkgeist conventions of Nazi art with a clever plot device by which he could demonstrate that he had conned a member of the Nazi elite. The Beltracchis concocted the history of production of a hitherto unknown number of modern art works by linking the fake provenances to pre-packaged narratives that invoked the most sordid elements of the cultural policy of the Third Reich. At their trials, the forgers assumed the role of "masters of ceremonies" who entertained the court staff and spectators. Unsurprisingly, the media conferred folk hero status on them. This article highlights the uncanny parallels and patterns in the art forgery careers of these two forgers, and specifically also in the misattribution of their forged works. Considering how intricate the interdependencies between evidence and beliefs can be, the ethical responsibility of the art trade when forgeries are sold comes into question. More scientific testing continues to expose some of the secrets of master forgers, but no forgery trial, law report, or media report can completely de-contaminate art history. The relevance of information ethics to the study of art history and material culture deserves to be highlighted more frequently

    A Blockchain-based Approach for Data Accountability and Provenance Tracking

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    The recent approval of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) imposes new data protection requirements on data controllers and processors with respect to the processing of European Union (EU) residents' data. These requirements consist of a single set of rules that have binding legal status and should be enforced in all EU member states. In light of these requirements, we propose in this paper the use of a blockchain-based approach to support data accountability and provenance tracking. Our approach relies on the use of publicly auditable contracts deployed in a blockchain that increase the transparency with respect to the access and usage of data. We identify and discuss three different models for our approach with different granularity and scalability requirements where contracts can be used to encode data usage policies and provenance tracking information in a privacy-friendly way. From these three models we designed, implemented, and evaluated a model where contracts are deployed by data subjects for each data controller, and a model where subjects join contracts deployed by data controllers in case they accept the data handling conditions. Our implementations show in practice the feasibility and limitations of contracts for the purposes identified in this paper

    Made in GB ‐ manufacturing and fashion provenance.

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    The UK fashion industry is distinctive for its idiosyncrasy, practicality, resourcefulness and voice from an eclectic nation. Its creative capital spans design, make, styling, journalism, showmanship, retail and entrepreneurship at scales large and small. This is manifest at two extremes – the crafting of cloth holding centuries of refinement and the honing of skills in bespoke tailoring through to the honing of the prevalent business model of production and consumption at a speed and volume that amazes the world and these connections to our cultural identities and our use of technology are vehicles for fashion as a social connector, offering each of us the ability to identify ourselves and get feedback from others. Fashion affects the attitude of most people towards themselves and others. This is a vital consideration to each of us as social animals, to the cohesion of our communities and to our collective state and governance. It is how we act that determines our destiny. It is what we value that determines how we act. About the event: The UK fashion industry contributes £21bn to the economy and directly employs more than 800,000 people. But what about the future for growth, skills and nurturing new generations of talent? Bringing together policymakers and representatives from across the UK fashion industry - including retailers, manufacturers, suppliers and designers - this seminar examined the emerging challenges and opportunities for the industry. Sessions focused on domestic clothing manufacturing and options for capitalising on product provenance, and further emerging opportunities for industry and government to collaborate to promote UK fashion and design internationally. The event is part of a series of events being organised by the Westminster Media Forum looking at the UK's creative industries

    Czech wine consumers: maturing with age?

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    The purpose of this study is to identify the most important motivations for drinking wine and the factors influencing wine purchase in the Czech Republic and to ascertain if there are significant differences between genders and age groups. An online survey was conducted, using e-mail and social networks, of wine consumers in one of the 14 regions of the Czech Republic. This resulted in a sample of n=237. Spearman’s correlation test was conducted to find correlations between wine consumption and age and the chi-square test for differences between genders. Four motivations were found to be significantly correlated with age – to be sociable, to be respected, because wine is considered healthy and because it belongs with a nice meal, as well as seven factors affecting wine purchase – label, provenance, brand/producer, vintage, design of the bottle, recommendations of salesperson and a preference for the lowest priced wines. As the majority of respondents came from one of the 14 Czech regions, generalizations for the whole Czech Republic cannot be made. It is recommended that future work should include more complex segmentation. This paper contributes to the literature by exploring the Czech wine market, where very little research has been conducted so far, as well as by exploring the influence of age on the motivation for wine consumption

    Artful Good Faith: An Essay on Law, Custom, and Intermediaries in Art Markets

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    This Essay explores relationships between custom and law in the United States in the context of markets for art objects. The Essay argues that these relationships are dynamic, not static, and that law can prompt evolution in customary practice well beyond the law\u27s formal requirements. Understanding these relationships in the context of art markets requires due attention to two components distinctive to art markets: the role of dealers and auction houses as transactional intermediaries as well as the role of museums as end-collectors. In the last decade, the business practices of major transactional intermediaries reflected a significant shift in customary practice, with attention newly focused on the provenance (ownership history) of objects consigned for sale and on long-standing concerns with an object\u27s condition and authorship. During the same time major museums developed new policies and practices applicable to new acquisitions and objects already in held in collections, focused in particular on archaeological objects and ancient art, as well as paintings present in European countries subject to the Nazi regime between 1932 and 1945. The Essay argues that, in both cases, law furnished the backdrop to significant shifts in customary practice, augmented by heightened public knowledge and concern. Custom evolved in response to salient episodes of enforcement of the law, which furnished further rallying points for newly broadened or awakened public interest and concern. The relationships explored in this Essay are relevant to ongoing debate about the merits of the underlying law. In the United States, it has long been true that nemo dat quod non habet—no one can give what one does not have—with the consequence that a thief cannot convey good title. The subsequent transferees lack good title and are not insulated against claims by the rightful owner even when the transferees acted in good faith. To be sure, an elapsed statute of limitations may furnish a defense, as may the equitable doctrine of laches. Prior scholarship notes that the United States is unusual, but not unique, because it does not recognize any good-faith purchaser defense in this context and because it does not require that the rightful owner of a stolen object compensate the good-faith purchaser as a condition of obtaining the return of the object. However, this scholarship does not acknowledge (or does not emphasize) the significance of transactional intermediaries within art markets or the operation of customary practices of museums and transactional intermediaries. This Essay thus adds the context requisite to evaluating the merits of the relevant law

    Beyond Equal: From Same but Different to the Doctrine of Substantial Equivalence

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    A same-but-different dichotomy has recently been encapsulated within the ill-defined concept of “substantial equivalence”. By invoking this concept the genetically modified organism (GMO) industry has escaped the rigors of safety testing that might otherwise apply. The curious concept of “substantial equivalence” grants a presumption of safety to GMO food. This presumption has yet to be earned, and has been used to constrain labelling of both GMO and non-GMO food. It is an idea that well serves corporatism. It enables the claim of difference to secure patent protection, while upholding the contrary claim of sameness to avoid labelling and safety scrutiny. It offers the best of both worlds for corporate food entrepreneurs, and delivers the worst of both worlds to consumers. The term “substantial equivalence” has established its currency within the GMO discourse. As the opportunities for patenting food technologies expand, the GMO recruitment of this concept will likely be a dress rehearsal for the developing debates on the labelling and testing of other techno-foods - including nano-foods and clone-foods

    Scrutinising the British Monarchy: The corporate brand that was shaken, stirred and survived

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    Purpose – The principal purposes of this article are to provide normative advice in terms of managing the British Monarchy as a Corporate Heritage Brand and to reveal the efficacy of examining a brand’s history for corporate heritage brands generally. Design/methodology/approach – Taking a case history approach, this article examines critical events in the Crown’s history. This article is also informed by the diverse literatures on the British Monarchy and also marshals the identity literatures and the nascent literature relating to corporate brands. Six critical incidents that have shaped the monarchy over the last millennium provide the principal data source for this article. Findings - In scrutinising key events from the institution’s historiography it was found that the management and maintenance of the Crown as a corporate brand entail concern with issues relating to (1) continuity (maintaining heritage and symbolism), (2) visibility (having a meaningful and prominent public profile), (3) strategy (anticipating and enacting change), (4) sensitivity (rapid response to crises), (5) respectability (retaining public favour), and (6) empathy (acknowledging that brand ownership resides with the public). Taking an integrationist perspective, the efficacy of adopting a corporate marketing approach/philosophy is also highlighted. Research limitations – The insights derived from this article are based on the extant literatures on the Monarchy: richer insights would, of course, be derived from undertaking research within the institution. However, the difficulty in gaining access to the Royal Household in undertaking empirical/publishable research renders most methodologies currently used within management research virtually unavailable. Practical implications – There are two. In terms of the Crown a new tripartite dictum is offered which is broader in scope than Bagehot’s and takes account of the Monarchy’s constitutional, societal and symbolic obligations. As such, the Crown should be Dutiful to the tenets of a constitutional monarchy; Devoted to the peoples of the realm and Dedicated to maintaining royal symbolism. In terms of the management of corporate brands/heritage brands a five- faceted approach/modus operandi is introduced which is called: ‚Chronicling the Corporate Brand.‛ These are: (a) chronicling the brand’s history; (b) assembling a cross-section of individuals to set down the corporate brand narrative; (c) documenting and communicating the insights from the aforementioned (d) marshalling the narrative vis a vis corporate brand management/crisis management; (e) revisiting the brand’s history for new insights. Originality/value – This is one of the first articles to examine the British Monarchy through a corporate branding lens. It confirms that the Crown is analogous to a corporate brand and, therefore, ought to be managed as such
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