Sponsors: This program is presented as a partnership between the International Hajji Baba Society and The Textile Museum.

Speakers: Panel discussion among TM curator Sumru Krody, Sotheby’s Auction professional Mary Jo Otsea and cultural property lawyer Tom Kline.

Join us for an engaging discussion led by several experts from the field of textiles and museums on provenance. Collectors may face some surprises as they consider donating a piece from their collection to a museum, or selling an art piece at auction. Provenance information has become of paramount importance as looting of religious, historical and archaeological sites is recognized as a worldwide issue. International protocols require proof that art objects have entered the U.S. by 1970. Without such records collectors, museums and auction houses are being exposed to litigation or seizure of such objects. The panelists will discuss the impact of the protocols on museums, auction houses, dealers and private collectors, and ways to navigate through the legal constraints they impose.

Panelists: Sumru Krody is Senior Curator of Eastern Hemisphere Collections at The Textile Museum and an IHBS member. Mary Jo Otsea is Senior Consultant to Sotheby's in Rugs and Carpets, and a member of The Textile Museum s Advisory Council. Tom Kline is a lawyer with the firm Andrews Kurth in Washington, D. C., specializing in art and cultural property litigation and advice, and also lectures at George Washington University's Museum Studies program.

View the Textile Museum Event Calendar here.