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Tholos Talks | Why Do Culture and Heritage Matter?
In our premiere episode, Deborah Lehr, Basilinna CEO, and founder of the Antiquities Coalition, sits down with Ambassador Irina Bokova to kick off our series on culture and discuss a fundamental question: What is the role of culture, and does it matter?

Talking Points | Protecting Heritage through Partnership: Why U.S. Antiquities CPAs are Essential for At-Risk Nations
In a world where cultural artifacts can be plundered from archaeological sites, whisked away across borders, and then laundered onto the black market within just days or even hours, nations need robust, collaborative strategies to fight back. The United States has taken a step toward addressing this problem by signing cultural property agreements (CPAs) with countries threatened by the illicit antiquities trade.

Lost Treasures: Crisis and Guardianship
For centuries, the looting and trafficking of antiquities have never ceased. Yet the strength humanity shows in safeguarding its heritage is no less than the creative power of its ancestors. At the 4th Dialogue of the C.E.A. Museums Cooperation Initiative, Deborah Lehr, Chair and CEO of Basilinna and Founder of the Antiquities Coalition, and Tess Davis, Basilinna and Antiquities Coalition Executive Director, both focused on the astonishing creativity of museums as guardians of culture.

A Discussion on Cultural Artifacts
Deborah Lehr, Chair and CEO of Basilinna and Chairman of the Board of Antiquities Coalition, and Tess Davis, Executive Director at Basilinna and Antiquities Coalition, discuss the importance of detecting, identifying, reporting, and understanding how cultural artifacts can be used to move illicit funds.

The U.S. Art Market is a Sanctions Black Hole
On February 23, a day before the second anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine and a week after the suspected murder of Alexei Navalny, President Joe Biden imposed over 500 new sanctions targeting “Russia’s war machine”.

Suspected Traders of Ancient Art Linked to Islamic State Are Detained
Spanish police are holding two men suspected of trading in antiquities looted by groups linked to Islamic State, the first publicly announced detentions by Western authorities working to dismantle the terrorist group’s trade in plundered art.