The Icon Hunter Blog

In a five-page article published on 14 August 2021in the distinguished German magazine Der Spiegel, journalist Timofey Neshitov and photographer Julien Busch are undercover with well-known cultural activist and campaigner Tasoula Hadjitofi to record her attempts to...

Discussing #TheIconHunter campaign to preserve cultural heritage   Tasoula Hadjitofi will discuss her experiences of war and injustice; her ongoing campaign to preserve cultural heritage worldwide and her tireless work to combat art trafficking. The event is also...

Culture Crime Watchers Worldwide Embraces Refugees. Migrants and refugees can play an important role in salvaging the heritage of the countries they have been forced to leave. The refugee’s instant concerns are material – food, shelter, clothing. But the loss of home...

Rebuilding our Future In times of war and conflict, human lives take priority. But, when we come to the post-war period, cultural heritage is vital to build trust for Peace and Reconciliation. The future can be rebuilt with the ruins of the past, turning these silent...

I’ve always been a fan of the esteemed Greek writer Nikos Kazantzakis. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature on nine different occasions and has a sea of quotes attributed to him. Two of them, in particular, really strike a chord with me. One is on his...

I was delighted for the opportunity to take the stage at the ‘Junior Achievement’ event in Cyprus, sharing my experiences with the next generation of cultural crime watchers. In this blog, I summarise the key message from my speech. Over the past 30 years, I learned...

As a girl growing up in Cyprus, I never imagined I’d learn as much as I have about the inner workings of art trafficking. Here are some of the learnings I’ve gathered over the years: I’ve learned about civil cases and their failings due to statutes of limitations....