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Banksneeze. Owners of a home in Bristol contemplated whether or not to sell the house after a Banksy mural appeared on the wall of the home overnight. The image shows a woman sneezing and is likely a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The owners ultimately decided to sell the house, but sought a covenant in the deed of sale to ensure the mural remains intact in the house, or is moved to Bristol City Council or a museum. 

Disclosing Epstein’s Dealings. In early December, prosecutors in the US Virgin Islands issued subpoenas to Sotheby’s and Christie’s demanding the auction houses turn over documents relating to purchases by Jeffrey Epstein, hoping to uncover evidence of illegal tax evasion. MoMA board chair Leon Black is also under investigation in connection to Epstein’s art purchases; he was subpoenaed in August 2020.

Looted-Art Panel Shifts The Balance. A Dutch panel is urging reforms to create humane and transparent policies towards Nazi-looted art. The government-appointed committee determined that it was inappropriate to balance the interests of owners and heirs against the interests of claimants; rather, the decision should be focused on rectifying the injustice suffered by the claimant.

State Laws on Native Art. James Ramos, the first member of a California Native American tribe to serve in the state legislature, has authored new laws, including one that will make it easier for the tribes to reclaim sacred artifacts and the remains of their ancestors held in museums and other institutions in California. 

Mural in Bad Ta(s)te. Tate Britain will likely close its restaurant after the restaurant mural, by Rex Whistler, was criticized for racism. The mural titled "The Expedition in Pursuit of Rare Meats," depicts bound Black children who are likely enslaved, as well as caricatured Chinese people. While the figures in the huge mural are small, complaints from visitors and a museum committee have advocated for the removal of the mural.

CASE Act Passed; case closed. After a decade of negotiations, the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement (CASE) Act was passed by Congress on December 21 as part of the COVID-19 relief package. The bill sets up a new approach to streamlining copyright cases by establishing a small claims tribunal within the U.S. Copyright Office that will adjudicate small claims infringement cases. The tribunal is an expert panel of three judges, with damages capped at $15,000.

Cornered Coin Collector. Following a joint Belgian and French operation, authorities seized 27,400 Roman coins and artifacts allegedly looted and trafficked throughout eastern France, worth close to €773,000. The seizure is the result of a year-long investigation, and the trafficker, known only as Patrice T., faces possible imprisonment and hundreds of thousands of Euros in customs fines, according to France’s economy minister. 

Slow RISE: Better Late than Never. The Australian government announced a $250 million support program for arts and cultural organizations in June, but arts organizations are still waiting for the financial relief promised by the government. The support program, called the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (“RISE”), allocates $34 million in grant funding to non-profits, yet many of the approved grant recipients have been told they will need to wait until 2021 to receive any funds. Few nations have been a bit faster in giving aid to their creative sector.

Wanted For Antiquities Trafficking. The Rewards for Justice Program of the US State Department is offering up to $5 million for information leading to the significant disruption of the sale and trade of antiquities connected to terrorist funding, specifically targeting antiquities connected to ISIS. Antique coins, jewelry, carved gems, plaques, sculptures and cuneiform tablets are among the types of Syrian and Iraqi cultural objects that ISIS is exploiting. The State Department hopes offering this award will undermine ISIS funding activities.

(Two) Years Later. France will return 27 colonial-era artifacts currently in its museums to Benin and Senegal within one year, following the 2018 Sarr-Savoy Report and a unanimous vote by the National Assembly on December 17, 2020 following weeks of deliberations and overriding last minute opposition from the Senate. The bill mandates the transfer of ownership of 26 artifacts, all from the Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac (dedicated to indigenous art and culture), to the Republic of Benin, and a sword from the Army Museum to Senegal.

New York Publicity Rights Revived. In late November, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation establishing a new Civil Rights Law Section of New York State law. The bill grants a 40-year post-mortem right of publicity for deceased “performers” and “personalities” to protect against unauthorized exploitation of elements of their persona. This law will become effective in May 2021 and applies to all living and deceased individuals who die on or after that date in New York. 

Down With the Old. The statue of Confederate leader Robert E. Lee was removed from the US Capitol Building's National Statuary Hall on December 21 and is sought to be replaced with a sculpture of Barbara Rose Johns, a civil rights activist from Virginia and a key figure in the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. The Virginia General Assembly, which begins its next session on January 13, must approve the proposal before an artist is selected and commissioned to create the statue.