Courts, Museums, and Returns: Restitution Pathways for Ancient Antiquities in the UK and US

This talk by Lauren Gowler will compare restitution pathways for ancient antiquities across two major art-market jurisdictions: the United Kingdom and the United States. Using recent high-profile returns as touchpoints, it will map the main routes through which objects move from contested possession to restitution — criminal investigations and seizures, civil claims, negotiated museum returns, and governance constraints within collecting institutions. The focus is practical and process-oriented: what kinds of evidence trigger action, who has authority to decide, how due diligence standards are applied (or challenged), and why similar cases can produce different outcomes across jurisdictions. The talk will close by linking these pathways to her DPhil research on restitution processes and experiences of claimants and institutions.

Rather than the normal AWRC Early Career Research ‘festival’ with multiple short presentations, this term Lauren is invited to talk at more length about aspects of her DPhil Project. The Early Career Research Night, in the Cellar Bar, is also a drinks social.