Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property becomes UK law

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property comes into force in the UK | The 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict has come into force in UK law. The convention, created following the widespread destruction and appropriation of cultural property in the Second World War, is intended to provide a framework for protecting sites and objects of historical or artistic significance in a combat zone. The UK formally ratified the convention in September, with the protocols becoming law as of today.

Jon Seydl is appointed director of Krannert Art Museum | Curator Jon Seydl has been appointed as the new director of the Krannert Art Museum at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Seydl, a specialist in Italian Renaissance art, served as curator of European painting and sculpture at the Cleveland Museum of Art from 2007 to 2013, before joining the Worcester Art Museum as director of curatorial affairs the following year. He will take up the new post in February, pending approval of the university’s board of trustees.

TEFAF announces partnership with city of Maastricht and Limburg province | The European Fine Art Foundation has announced a 10-year partnership between the fair and the city of Maastricht and the province of Limburg. The collaboration entails the renovation and extension of the MECC Maastricht, where TEFAF Maastricht is held every year, as well as improvements to transport infrastructure and the provision of more hotel rooms. The province of Limburg has also committed to making Maastricht Aachen airport easier to get to by investing in a direct connection to an international airport hub. Patrick van Maris, CEO of TEFAF, says: ‘Our relationship with Maastricht is very strong, I am delighted that, with this new partnership, it will now be even stronger.’

CFO of New York’s Museum of Jewish Heritage is suing for discrimination | Mohad Athar, the former chief financial officer of New York’s Museum of Jewish Heritage, is suing the institution for discrimination, reports the New York Post. Athar, a Pakistani-born Muslim who was CFO at the museum for seven years, says that chief executive officer Michael Glickman subjected him to racial slurs and false performance reviews.

Shortlist announced for inaugural ArtePrize | ArteVue, a social media sharing platform for art, has announced the shortlist for its inaugural ArtePrize, the first ever art award to take entries exclusively through an app. The four finalists are Zuza Golińska, Sahil Naik, Kiah Reading and Lukas Zerbst, one of whom will receive a $15,000 cash prize and a residency at London’s Delfina Foundation. The result will be announced on 22 January.