Hi Everyone,

 

The Museum and Art Law Committee (MALC) and Scientific Evidence Committee cordially invites interested museum and arts community members to attend Art & Scientific Evidence: Criminal Investigation & Authentication on Friday, August 8, 2014 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, MA, 3:45 PM - 5:00 PM, a continuing legal education program offered at the 2014 American Bar Association Annual Meeting.  

 

MALC reserved approximately 50 complimentary passes for non-attorney attendees, which will be distributed on a first come, first served basis. If interested, please email me at [log in to unmask]. Please feel free to share this invitation with interested colleagues.

 

This panel discussion will address new scientific evidence methods and techniques developed in recent years to authenticate works of art and investigate art related crimes. The panel will also address specific challenges in litigating art crime cases.

 

Speakers:

 

John Cahill, Partner, Cahill Partners LLP, New York, NY.

 

Mr. Cahill is a litigator and transactional lawyer known for his representation of leading collectors, art dealers, advisors, appraisers, galleries, lenders, nonprofits, estates, and auction houses. With considerable experience representing those in disputes arising out of claims to the title and the authenticity of art work, Mr. Cahill provides both representation in lawsuits and counseling to businesses, nonprofits, and individuals engaged in the sale, acquisition, lending, insuring, copyrighting, and financing of fine and decorative art.

 

Nicholas Petraco, Forensic Consultant, Massapequa Park, NY

 

Mr. Petraco served in the New York City Police Department 1968 – 1990, mostly as Police Laboratory detective/criminalist including as senior trace evidence forensic microscopist. As an independent consultant Mr. Petraco has aided hundreds of investigations since 1993, and since 1999 as contractor Mr. Petraco is designated Technical Leader in Criminalists for NYPD’s Forensic Investigation division. Mr. Petraco has advised or joined diverse art investigations, has advised or joined thousands of prosecutor and defense attorney death investigations, and he has given civil or criminal court expert testimony in over 500 trials.

 

Dr. Daniel Rockmore, Director, Neukom Institute for Computational Sciences and

Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH

 

Prof. Rockmore is the Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Dartmouth College, as well as the Director of Dartmouth’s Neukom Institute for Computational Science—“a catalyst for interdisciplinary collaboration at Dartmouth using computational science to aid the myriad research projects on campus”—and the William H. Neukom 1964 Distinguished Professor of Computational Science. Prof. Rockmore holds an AB in Mathematics from Princeton and a PhD in Mathematics from Harvard. His research interests include complex systems, network analysis, machine learning, and computational analysis of cultural artifacts, especially text and visual art. He has a long history of interdisciplinary work that integrates the sciences and the arts, that includes the well-regarded "Music and Computers: A theoretical and historical approach", an interactive web-based book. He was among the first to apply the techniques of machine learning to the study of paintings and drawings. Daniel Rockmore has also written on the intersection of math and the visual arts, made four documentary films, reviewed plays and motion pictures for newspapers, been a radio commentator on National Public Radio.

 

Robert K. Wittman, Former Senior Investigator and Founder of the FBI National Art and Author, Chester Heights, PA 

 

Mr. Wittman joined the FBI as a Special Agent in 1988.  As a result of specialized training in art, antiques, jewelry and gem identification, he served as the FBI’s investigative expert involving cultural property crime.  During his 20 year FBI career, he recovered more than $300 million worth of stolen art and cultural property which resulted in numerous prosecutions and convictions.  As a result of his unique experience, Mr. Wittman coauthored the FBI Cultural Property Investigative Manual in 2001.  In 2005, he created the FBI’s rapid deployment national Art Crime Team (ACT).  Mr. Wittman has represented the United States throughout the world conducting investigations and instructing international police and museums in recovery and use of high asset value security techniques.  In 2010, Mr. Wittman penned his New York Times bestselling memoir “PRICELESS: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World’s Stolen Treasures.”  Mr. Wittman is now president of Robert Wittman Inc.  The firm specializes in consulting in art matters which include expert witness testimony, investigation and collection management.

 

If interested in registering for a COMPLIMENTARY PASS to the program, please contact Katherine E. Lewis, Chair, Museums and Art Law Committee at [log in to unmask].