Full text of the 1954 Hague Convention

The first chapter defines cultural property: movable or immovable property of great importance to the cultural heritage of peoples, buildings intended to shelter or exhibit it, monumental centres. This broad definition covers a painting as well as an archaeological site.

States undertake to safeguard their property in peacetime and to respect that of the enemy in wartime. They are forbidden to use this property for purposes that would expose it to destruction, and to pillage or requisition it.

A limited number of refuges sheltering movable cultural property and monumental centres may be placed under special protection, provided they are far from any military objective. Immunity is then strengthened and can be lifted only in exceptional cases.

Special provisions govern the transport of cultural property, including under special protection. The distinctive sign, a pointed blue and white shield, may be repeated three times for property under special protection.

Recent conflicts have shown the persistence of looting and deliberate destruction. Debates on the restitution of works from conflict zones, on the responsibility of operators and on the traceability of excavations all rely, to varying degrees, on the 1954 text.

For a market operator, knowing the Convention is not a luxury: it sheds light on why certain provenances trigger particular vigilance, and why certain restitution claims are hard to contest.