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

In this episode, Paris and Andrea are joined by Simon Frankel and Stephen Urice, co-authors of the newly released 6th edition of Law, Ethics, and the Visual Arts, the leading textbook shaping the field of art law.

Together, they explore the complex relationship between artistic freedom and government authority and unpack how the First Amendment applies to visual art.

From the cancellation of Amy Sherald’s exhibition at the Smithsonian to landmark legal battles over obscenity and censorship, we ask:

• What counts as protected expression?
• When, and why, can the government intervene?
• And who ultimately controls the art that reaches the public?

To learn more about the book, check out the links below:

• https://cambridgeblog.org/2025/04/law-ethics-and-the-visual-arts/
• www.leva6.org

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In this episode, Paris and Andrea sit down with former FBI Art Crime Team agents Ronnie Walker and Dave Bass.

They share incredible stories from their time undercover, including recovering a multi-million dollar stolen pair of ruby slippers and bringing one of America’s most infamous art forgers to justice.

Now out of the Bureau, Ronnie and Dave reveal how their experiences led them to co-found The Art Legacy Institute, and what’s next in their mission to protect artists and their work.

A big thanks to Eva Bella for guiding the research for this episode.

Connect with Ronnie and Dave Here:

• https://bsky.app/profile/artcrimeguy.bsky.social
• https://x.com/artcrimeguy
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronnie-walker-b64953176/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-bass-97a11b297/

For More Information:

Art Legacy Institute:

• https://www.artlegacyinstitute.org/
• https://www.instagram.com/artlegacyinstitute_org/
• https://bsky.app/profile/artlegacyinstitute.bsky.social
• https://x.com/artlegacy_org

Alitheon:

• https://alitheon.com/

AWS:

• https://aws.amazon.com/government-education/nonprofits/?ams%23interactive-card-vertical%23pattern-data--2066256937.filter=%257B%2522filters%2522%253A%255B%255D%257D

Ruby Slippers Case:

• https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/magazine/wp/2019/04/30/feature/the-case-of-dorothys-stolen-ruby-slippers/

Earl Washington Case:

• https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/18/arts/earl-washington-woodblocks-art-fraud.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ZE8.RkOq.-8-4beaBhG5o&smid=url-share

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In this episode, Paris and Andrea dive deep into a discussion on Artist Resale Rights. They talk about how these rights function differently across different countries, and why this issue remains such a hotly debated topic in the art world.

for more information check out this Center for Art Law article: https://itsartlaw.org/2019/07/01/its-not-that-easy-artist-resale-royalty-rights-and-the-art-act/

Paris and Andrea sit down with Raymond Dowd, one of the foremost voices in art law and cultural and intellectual property.

Together, they speak with Raymond about his experiences working on cases involving Nazi-era looted art, with a particular focus on the case Cassirer v. Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection Foundation.

They also explore the complexities of navigating conflicting international legal systems, as well as the postwar incentives that fueled the acquisition of stolen art.

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In this episode, Atreya Mathur sits down with the podcast to explain all things AI and copyright, specifically highlighting the case Thaler v Perlmutter.

Soon after our podcast with Atreya Mathur was recorded, the U.S. Copyright Office released a pre-publication of Part 3 of its Copyright and AI Report, focusing on the use of copyrighted works to train AI. Shortly after its release, Shira Perlmutter, the Register of Copyrights, was removed from office by the current administration. We hope to reconnect with Atreya soon to discuss the report, AI training, and fair use in light of these developments.

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