The Dja Dja Wurrung Bark Etchings Case

Extract

A recent Australian case has clearly illustrated the tensions between export regulations and the circulation of important cultural works through international exhibition. So far such claims have involved efforts of heirs of collectors to seize works of art appropriated in another country and temporarily located outside that country for exhibition, such as the claim by the Altman heirs in the United States or of Schuckina in France—a situation dealt with in many cases by indemnity statutes which prevent their seizure. This case involved the sensitivity of indigenous people who regard the work in question as part of their cultural heritage.