Stolen Art: Should it be Returned? - M. Streich

The New Acropolis Museum opened in Athens in 2009, showcasing approximately 4,000 artifacts. One of the most prized items, however, is missing. In the early 1800s, Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, removed the famous marbles associated with his name and they have been in Britain ever since, displayed today in the British Museum.

 

In Egypt, Zahi Hawass heads the Council of Antiquities. Among the artifacts he zealously attempts to recover is the bust of Queen Nefertiti at the New Museum in Berlin. Although the Times (May 4, 2010) stated that, “Worldwide the trend has been towards returning looted artifacts to their country of origin,” museum directors, universities, and private galleries have been loathe to discuss the issue.

 

The Looting of Greek History

 

Before the 2009 opening of the New Acropolis Museum, Helen Skopis, writing in the Athens News, commented that “…the new museum becomes the centerpiece of Greece’s campaign for the return of the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum.” This effort was strongly pursued by then Culture Minister Antonis Samaras. The new climate-controlled museum represents a fitting home for the marbles, with over 14,000 square meters of exhibition space.

 

The British Museum, however, believes it’s ownership of the Elgin Marbles to be legal, despite the fact that the document was issued by the Ottomans before Greece became independent. This does not affect Museum Director Neil MacGregor’s perspective. The Times quotes MacGregor as stating that, “It is only by comparing things from different places that you can understand them.”

 

Evaggelos Valliantos, writing in the Hellenic News of America, quotes former Culture Minister Melina Merkouri identifying the Parthenon Marbles as the “soul of Greece” and hopes that when the 1012 Olympics are in London, Britain, as a gesture, will return the sculptures.

 

Legal and Illegal Artifacts – The Case of Nefertiti

 

Recovering the bust of Nefertiti, according to Matthias Schulz in Spiegel Online (Ma8 28, 2010) ranks high on Zahi Hawass’ list. Hawass has managed to recover thousands of artifacts over the years, many of them taken out of Egypt illegally. But, as Schulz writes, in December 2009, the museum provided documentation to prove that the sale of the bust in 1913 was legal. Such contracts do not assuage culture ministries in many countries that claim such artifacts as part of their heritage. As Newsweek’s Cathleen McGuigan wrote (March 12, 2007), “…the pursuit of such artworks has ignited a complex debate over cultural patrimony.”

 

Many of the most impressive artifacts, like the Rosetta Stone or King Priam’s gold from Troy, were spirited to the West during the 19^th Century at a time the great ancient empires were dominated by imperialist European powers or through their surrogates. The fascination with Egypt, for example, is centuries old. Romans – even Emperors like Hadrian, were drawn to the monuments along the Nile River, some taking parts of history, others content to leave graffiti. In most countries today the removal of artifacts is treated as a criminal offense.

 

World Events Hinder Honest Dialogue over Disputed Artifacts

 

The New Acropolis Museum in Athens cost 130 million Euro. But since its opening, the Greek Debt Bubble has burst and critics question whether the government, under new austerity measures, can guarantee adequate security and preservation of artifacts. During the U.S. invasion of Iraq, media headlines noted that during the occupation of Baghdad, the National Museum was looted.

 

Although it was later confirmed that museum employees had carried to safety many of the most priceless artifacts, the event caused critics to bemoan the security of vulnerable museums. (Guardian, June 10, 2003, David Aaronovitch)

 

Museums, by their definition, are repositories of art. Art, however, is also history. An Etruscan sarcophagus in the Vatican Museum tells a definite story. Is the value of that story determined by the number of people viewing the artifact? Is it more beneficial, in terms of understanding the past, to display the bust of Queen Nefertiti in Berlin rather than Cairo, where fewer people can see it? These are some of the questions that should be addressed by those attempting to reconcile heritage with the recovery of artifacts.