Yale Summer Session Presents Vernon Rapley & Jake Archer

July 13, 2016

On Wednesday, July 20th, Vernon Rapley Security Director and Leader of the Cultural Heritage Protection Programme at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London (UK) and Jake Archer Special Agent with the FBI’s Art Crime and Evidence Response teams will give lectures at Sudler Hall at 4:00 PM. Attendance is open to the public.

“The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” – An examination of the value of copies, the damage caused by fakes and forgeries and the pain inflicted by those who attempt to corrupt our history

Vernon Rapley

Vernon will draw upon his years of police experience to describe the methods and motivation behind fakers and forgers. He will describe how the works they produce can corrupt our understanding of history and destabilize the art market. By comparison he will then explore the value of copies, describing the real role that they play in preserving knowledge and their use in conserving and restoring originals. The session will conclude with a glimpse into how museums might use digital copies in the future to increase access to their collections and protect and conserve cultural heritage at risk.

Biography

Vernon Rapley is the Security Director and leader of the Culture Heritage Protection program for the Victoria & Albert Museum in London (UK). He is the founder and chairman of the National Museum Security Group, founder of the Security of Major Museums Europe Group (SOMME), the UK lead for Tourism on the Cross-sector Security and Safety Communications Team and a member of the NPCC (National Police Chiefs’ Council) Heritage & Cultural Property Crime Working Group, as well as the International Council of Museum Security. 

Understanding the role of the FBI Art Crime Team in the context of global cultural heritage preservation

Jake Archer

Art and cultural property investigations by law enforcement occur around the world and constitute an aspect of cultural heritage preservation. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Art Crime Team conducts and assists in art and cultural property related investigations worldwide in cooperation with foreign law enforcement officials and FBI legal attaché offices. This lecture will focus on understanding the role and capabilities of the Art Crime Team from the physical preservation of objects collected to the greater substantive role in the enforcement of cultural property related laws.

Biography

Jake Archer is a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and is assigned to the Philadelphia Division. SA Archer is a member of both the FBI’s Art Crime Team and Evidence Response Team. Prior to his service with the FBI, SA Archer was an associate attorney with a private law firm in New Jersey. SA Archer earned a law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law and a Master’s Degree in Art History - Cultural Heritage and Preservation Studies from Rutgers University.

Event time: Wednesday, July 20, 2016 - 4:00 – 6:00 PM

Event location: See map

Sudler Hall - William L. Harkness Hall (WLH 201)

100 Wall Street

New Haven, CT 06511

For more information on the Yale Summer Session Lecture Series, please see http://summer.yale.edu/ysslectureseries2016