What happens when culture becomes collateral damage in war?

In this episode of Art in Brief, we speak with Patty Gerstenblith, a leading expert on cultural heritage law, about the destruction of cultural sites in recent armed conflicts.

We examine the role of international courts, the limits of accountability, and whether the law can truly protect history in times of war.

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In this episode, Paris and Andrea sit down with Carina Popovici, a physicist turned art tech entrepreneur and the founder of Art Recognition.

Together, we explore how her team trains AI to read an artist’s hand, detect forgeries, and bring more transparency to the art market. We also dive into the ethical stakes, from questions of bias to concerns about authority and accountability, as technology begins to influence how we understand our cultural past.

Check out the Framework for Responsible Use of AI in Art Authentication, developed by Art Recognition and the Center for Art Law, a nonprofit organization based in the United States.

https://art-recognition.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Framework-for-Responsible-Use-of-AI-in-Art-Authentication-final.pdf

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Paris and Andrea are joined by Roksolana Makar and Anastasiia Olexii to discuss how Ukrainians are fighting back against Russia’s assault on their cultural heritage From documenting destroyed sites to preserving artifacts and seeking justice for cultural war crimes, they show how protecting heritage is central to defending the nation's identity.

For more information on HeMo, the Ukrainian Heritage Monitoring Lab, the Raphael Lemkin Society and Wall Evidence, check out the resources below!

People of Culture Taken Away By The War:

https://pen.org.ua/en/lyudy-kultury-yakykh-zabrala-vijna

HeMo:

https://www.heritage.in.ua/

War Archive:

https://ukrainewararchive.org/eng/

Wall Evidence:

https://wallevidence.mizhvukhamy.com/

https://instagram.com/wallevidence

Raphael Lemkin Society:

https://www.facebook.com/lemkin.society

https://lemkin.org.ua/index_en.html

https://www.instagram.com/lemkin_society?igsh=ZHp6eGx5ZG1kYzVx