The focus of the Colloquium was to explore the legal, aesthetic and curatorial aspects arising in relation to reproductions and the creation of replicas of posthumous bronzes. Renowned museum directors, art historians, and legal experts from Europe and the United States participated in the colloquium. According to State Hermitage Museum General Director Dr. Mikhail B. Piotrovsky, “The world is full of bronze sculptures by famous artists which have been made either with or without the approval of their heirs. This all creates serious problems in the art market, confusing prices. Exhibitions are held of copies which pretend to be cultural events.”

The colloquium program consisted of three sessions. The first session was run by Nicolas.V. Iljine, Advisor for Special Projects to the Director of the State Hermitage Museum, was the moderator. Speakers included: Alexandra Parigoris, University of Leeds; Alexandra Keiser, Curator of the Archipenko Foundation; Professor Lawrence Saphire, author of articles on Fernand Léger, André-Aimé-René Masson and Salvador Dali; and Geraldine Norman, Advisor to the Director of the State Hermitage Museum. The second session was run by Karen Sanig, Head of the Legal Department of Mischcon de Reya, a London law firm; the participants included Jean-François Canat, Paris; Dr. Sharon Fletcher, Executive Director of International Foundation for Art Research; and Dr. Alex Rosenberg, Professor of the Appraisal Arts, Professor Emeritus of Appraisers Association of America.

The third and concluding session was run by Geraldine Norman, Advisor to the Director of the State Hermitage Museum. Dr. S.O. Androsov, Head of the Department of Western European Fine Art of the State Hermitage Museum and a specialist in art history; Marc Scheps, Former Director of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the Ludwig Museum and the Ludwig Foundation; Dr. Richard Calvocoressi, Director of the Henry Moore Foundation, and Dr. Jon Whiteley, Oxford, were the panelists. The subject of debate was 20th-century bronze casts by Honore’ Daumier, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Auguste Rodin, Constantin Brancusi, Alexander Archipenko, Salvador Dali, and other artists. The exhibition of sculptures was organized as part of the colloquium and served as an illustration of the complexity of the questions being discussed.

Soft cover, 223 pages, Russian and English. 2012.

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