(a) Any abandoned cultural property held by a museum to which no person has made claim shall be deemed to be abandoned.

Terms Used In Tennessee Code 66-29-203

  • Abandoned cultural property: means cultural property meeting the following three (3) conditions:
    (A) The property shall have been deposited with a museum, historical society, or similar not-for-profit institution for a period of at least twenty (20) years. See Tennessee Code 66-29-202
  • Cultural property: means any work of art, regardless of the medium. See Tennessee Code 66-29-202
  • Museum: means those museums and art galleries owned or operated by the state or any political subdivision of the state, and those museums, historical societies, and art galleries owned and operated by not-for-profit corporations. See Tennessee Code 66-29-202
  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Property: includes both personal and real property. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(b) A museum holding abandoned cultural property shall publish in at least one (1) newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the institution is located at least once a week for two (2) consecutive weeks a notice and listing of the property. The notice shall contain:

(1) The name and last known address, if any, of the last known owner of the property;
(2) A description of the property; and
(3) A statement that if proof of claim is not presented by the owner to the museum and if the owner’s right to receive that property is not established to the museum’s satisfaction within sixty-five (65) days from the date of the second published notice, the property will be deemed abandoned and shall become the property of the museum.
(c) If no claim has been made to the abandoned cultural property within sixty-five (65) days from the date of the second published notice, title to the property shall vest in the museum, free from all claims of the owner and of all persons claiming through or under the owner.
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