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Customers praise innovative LexisNexis Art Program
By Nigel Roberts
LexisNexis, in cooperation with the American Bar Association Section of International Law and the Lawyers’ Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation recently hosted, "Restitution: Current Issues in Holocaust-Era Art Cases," at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut. The program focused on the legal and historical issues surrounding the ownership of art collections confiscated by the Germans during World War II.
"This was a truly a thought provoking customer event," said Barbara J. Cooperman, Global Chief Marketing Officer for LexisNexis. "We were able to leverage our close relationships with art lawyers from the ABA to secure a top notch panel of experts and create a fascinating program for our customers that involved both CLE accreditation and access to the prestigious Goudstikker exhibit."
Jacques Goudstikker, a prominent Dutch art dealer who fled Amsterdam in 1940 just ahead of the German occupation, left behind more than 1,100 works by Van Gogh, Rembrandt and others when he fled Amsterdam. During, and after, the war much of the stolen art ended up in the hands of state museums and private collectors. More than 300 of Goudstikker’s finest pieces were returned to the Netherlands.
In 1998, Goudstickker’s daughter-in-law, Marie von Saher, began an eight year battle to retrieve the paintings from the Dutch government. In 2006 she finally convinced a Dutch Restitutions Committee to return more than 200 pieces to her family.
The panelists at the Bruce event included Lawrence M. Kaye, Partner, Co-Chair, Art Law Group, Herrick, Feinstein LLP, New York and the attorney who represented Mrs. Von Saher during her fight with the Dutch government. Other panelists included Peter C. Sutton, The Susan E. Lynch Executive Director, Bruce Museum; Monica Dugot, Director of Restitution and Senior Vice President, Christie's International; Sharon Cohen Levin, Chief, Asset Forfeiture Unit, U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York; Constance Lowenthal, PhD, art historian and consultant on provenance and art-ownership disputes, President of Constance Lowenthal, Inc; and Lucille A. Roussin, archaeologist, attorney, and co-chair of the Art and Cultural Heritage Law Committee of the Section of International Law of the American Bar Association. Bill Livermore, Director of Customer Contact for LexisNexis welcomed the attendees on behalf of LexisNexis to open the program.
"The room was filled with customers and guests, including a number from key New York firms," Barbara added. "In addition to strengthening our relationships with the customers who attended, events like this help us build credibility with the Continuing Legal Education coordinators in our key firms."
An audio podcast of the program is available on the LexisNexis International Law Center page.
Please contact Nigel Roberts, Director, Global Associations, nigel.roberts@lexisnexis.com with any questions on the program.
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