An unnamed State Department officials on the telephone allowed to exhibit in Clinton further
By Chris Bergeron
Posted Mar 24, 2011 @ 02:16 PM
Lancaster -
CLINTON - Digging in his heels, the founding owner of the Museum of Russian Icons has refused a disputed order to return loaned artworks four months early until Russian authorities clarify the legal basis for their claim.
Gordon B. Lankton said his museum is continuing to exhibit “Treasures from Moscow” despite a Russian demand he immediately return 37 icons loaned by the Andrey Rublev Museum of Moscow.
Lankton is challenging a claim by Russia’s Ministry of Culture of “force majeure,” a rarely invoked contractual clause mostly used to excuse liability due to unavoidable or natural disasters.
While initially agreeing to comply late last week, Lankton said, “I finally stood my ground” after a day of negotiations yesterday that included the U.S. State Department, his legal team and Russian officials.
“I don’t think we could close (the exhibit) in less than three days. Everything hinges on ‘force majeure.’ I want a complete understanding of why (the Russians) think that it applies to this museum,” he said.
Lankton believes Russia’s demands stem from misplaced anger over a decision in a U.S. court in Washington, D.C., involving ownership of more than 60,000 Jewish books and religious documents. After the U.S. court ordered Russia to return the documents, which are mostly in Russia, in apparent retaliation Russian authorities have withheld or withdrawn works from the Hermitage in St. Petersburg and Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts which were to be loaned to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., or other sites.
Yesterday’s negotiations involved Lankton, the former president of Nypro, an international plastics manufacturer who built the museum at his expense, his lawyers, Richard Dearborn and Patricia Gates and unnamed State Department officials on the telephone.
Russia was represented by Sergey Chumarev, whom Lankton identified as a Russian consular officer, and Oxana Smirnova, a curator from the Rublev who’d flown from Moscow to supervise the dismantling of the show, largely at Lankton’s expenses.
Lankton, 80, said Chumarev was “livid” and “went away mad” because of his decision not to end the exhibit until he received a satisfactory explanation about why a claim of force majeure should apply to these loaned icons.
He said he was told to “forget future loans” of art and icons from Russia, which are the lifeblood of his museum, if he doesn’t send the icons back ahead of schedule.
He said the U.S. State Department official believes the Rublev icons are “immune from seizure,” which should lessen any concerns Russia has about letting the exhibit run its course.
http://www.wickedlocal.com/clinton/news/x698069889/Lankton-fights-return-of-icons#axzz1HYQJkVMC
Posted Mar 24, 2011 @ 02:16 PM
Lancaster -
CLINTON - Digging in his heels, the founding owner of the Museum of Russian Icons has refused a disputed order to return loaned artworks four months early until Russian authorities clarify the legal basis for their claim.
Gordon B. Lankton said his museum is continuing to exhibit “Treasures from Moscow” despite a Russian demand he immediately return 37 icons loaned by the Andrey Rublev Museum of Moscow.
Lankton is challenging a claim by Russia’s Ministry of Culture of “force majeure,” a rarely invoked contractual clause mostly used to excuse liability due to unavoidable or natural disasters.
While initially agreeing to comply late last week, Lankton said, “I finally stood my ground” after a day of negotiations yesterday that included the U.S. State Department, his legal team and Russian officials.
“I don’t think we could close (the exhibit) in less than three days. Everything hinges on ‘force majeure.’ I want a complete understanding of why (the Russians) think that it applies to this museum,” he said.
Lankton believes Russia’s demands stem from misplaced anger over a decision in a U.S. court in Washington, D.C., involving ownership of more than 60,000 Jewish books and religious documents. After the U.S. court ordered Russia to return the documents, which are mostly in Russia, in apparent retaliation Russian authorities have withheld or withdrawn works from the Hermitage in St. Petersburg and Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts which were to be loaned to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., or other sites.
Yesterday’s negotiations involved Lankton, the former president of Nypro, an international plastics manufacturer who built the museum at his expense, his lawyers, Richard Dearborn and Patricia Gates and unnamed State Department officials on the telephone.
Russia was represented by Sergey Chumarev, whom Lankton identified as a Russian consular officer, and Oxana Smirnova, a curator from the Rublev who’d flown from Moscow to supervise the dismantling of the show, largely at Lankton’s expenses.
Lankton, 80, said Chumarev was “livid” and “went away mad” because of his decision not to end the exhibit until he received a satisfactory explanation about why a claim of force majeure should apply to these loaned icons.
He said he was told to “forget future loans” of art and icons from Russia, which are the lifeblood of his museum, if he doesn’t send the icons back ahead of schedule.
He said the U.S. State Department official believes the Rublev icons are “immune from seizure,” which should lessen any concerns Russia has about letting the exhibit run its course.
http://www.wickedlocal.com/clinton/news/x698069889/Lankton-fights-return-of-icons#axzz1HYQJkVMC