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Loot: The Battle Over The Stolen Treasures Of The Ancient World (2008)

by Sharon Waxman(Favorite Author)

3.89 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0805086536 (ISBN13: 9780805086539)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Times Books

review 1: Sharon Waxman's new book is a winner in more ways than one. As several reviewers have commented, she has brought us new insights on the key personalities involved in the antiquities trade, done her homework in regard to the history and paper trails and best of all she makes the case for why the museum world and responsible governments will have to pay attention. The problem of restitution and return of artifacts is here to stay and it's not going to disappear into the woodwork.Is it possible to hold a grudge for 120 years? Apparently yes, according to Kwame Opoku and Zahi Hawass, two men who have taken every opportunity to call for the return of African antiquities, regardless of whether they were looted, stolen, bought or given away under permit. They look at all of these... more objects as part of any nation's patrimony, and like two terriers in a rat field they intend to stand their ground till the bitter end.They purposely seek out confrontations with heads of major museums either in person or in print, of whom Opoku has singled out James Cuno as a target. Director of the Art Institute of Chicago and author of the controversial Who Owns Antiquity? Cuno argues that "antiquities are the cultural property of all humankind, evidence of the world's ancient past and not that of a particular modern nation. They comprise antiquity, and antiquity knows no borders." He argues that retention of new finds and reclamation of old ones will lead to a dangerous politicization, thus he believes that there is such a thing as too much protection. His attitude is that now is the time to broaden, not restrict, access to antiquities, a stand that seems typical of the other large museums.Opoku, a retired legal adviser in Vienna, takes an unrelenting opposite view that challenges Cuno and calls for the return of all antiquities. This power struggle created by Hawass and Opoku has if anything exposed a fatal weakness in the monolithic institutions of the West. That is a central and timely point made by Waxman. As she says, there is in the larger museums, "an unwillingness to adapt to the changing mores of a shifting global culture. The politics of `us versus them' has to give way to a reaffirmation of the value of cultural exchange, and its real embrace by both sides."She also shows how in defense of their position the large museums of the West have distanced themselves from the concept of the National museum, the institution that is often used to tell the story of a nation's past and confirm its present importance. They now prefer to be known as encyclopedic museums, products of Enlightenment idealism, and institutions whose collections represent the world's artistic legacy.Irene Rowland a professor at the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture, based in Rome, in a recent review explained how the great encyclopedic museums of the West found themselves on their high horses, since they "were predicated, perhaps to a one, on the idea that their local public constituted the world's best people, and hence the most deserving to stand in the presence of high culture, with a smattering of primitives to drive that sense of superiority home."Rowland has kindly provided a stepladder on the off chance that they now find it difficult to get down from their lofty positions. She says, "the only plausible arrangement for museums today is to work as a peer among peers in schemes of international cooperation, already increasingly the norm for archaeological expeditions. The day is long gone when English, German, and American scholars could move in to tell the locals what was what and take their findings back to their encyclopedic museums to enlighten those who are deemed most capable of enlightenment."Rowland and Opoku provide a way of the future in the development of a system that we can all believe in, the International Museum to which all nations and cultures would make their own contributions.Waxman also helps by calling for "changing attitudes and shifting paradigms," but above all she points the finger at one of the central obstacles, provenance, the history of every object in every museum, collection and art salon. A more open attitude toward provenance may be just the thing to start everyone on the right road toward a meaningful and peaceful solution before too much blood is spilled, as it surely will be.
review 2: I'm fascinated by stories about museums and how they 'collect' antiquities and art (I'm also fascinated by forgeries. And art theft). This book addresses a key question: should antiquities like the Elgin Marbles be returned to their country of origin? Waxman is a reporter who does a great job of using historical sources and first person interviews to give the several sides of the story. She focuses on a few key countries and works in question, and gives all sides plenty of time to make their cases. Very well written, dense and detailed but accessible, I really enjoyed this book. less

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