Give back or share?

Give back or share?

Javanese with engine block | Marinus J. Hack | colonial 1913

The Dutch Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has decided to return art that does not belong to them to the countries it was looted from. Colonialism, imperialism, and wars have spread art all over the world. Art that originated in one country was stolen, sold, or looted and shipped to other countries, where it is proudly displayed in museums. Should that art go back to its origins, or should it stay where it is? If it should be returned, how far back in time should museums consider art for restitution?

In the Brussels Declaration of 1874, the laws and customs for countries at war were described. The international rules banned the destruction of foreign property while warring unless the military required it. These laws were confirmed and expanded in the The Hague Convention of 1899 and revised in 1907, specifically outlawing plunder. The country with the upper hand was entrusted with the safekeeping of local cultural heritage. Germany was one of the signees.

Germany continued to steal, plunder, maim, and destroy much of Europe’s precious collective art treasure. Many items are still lost or in private collections, but a lot has been shipped to museums around the world. Slowly over the last decades, art pieces have been restituted to the countries of origin. Not only Nazis stole art, but art has also been estranged from its original place from well before that time. But because some art pieces have been in the host country for so long that it nearly belongs to its culture, a discussion has begun regarding temporary restitution instead of permanent return.

Some of the bronze Benin pieces going back to Nigeria

In fact, France is returning its Benin pieces on a temporary loan basis to Nigeria and is in negotiation to rotate with museums in other countries. Other Benin bronzes, currently in Hamburg, have indeed been determined looted art, but they have only been shipped to a museum that can take better care of them. At the same time, Great Britain and Germany are considering the same terms for pieces stolen and shipped in colonial occupational times. There are even talks about joint-custody agreements between countries. This does not sound like restitution with apologies at all.

The problem is with the legality of acquisition and the ethical possession of the art piece. Were the pieces obtained with violence? Were they sold and shipped with permission of an authority? How long has a piece been in the host country and what significance has it developed there? Will the pieces be taken care of in the country of origin as well as in the host country? Does the origin country even want the pieces back? Many museums have not even properly identified how the oiece was procured. And then, of course, the items are over many museums in vast numbers. Getting to the bottom of the cultural origins of a piece can take years and a lot of effort and money.

I personally believe that art should be universal. Unless in possession of private collectors, an art piece should be viewed, discussed, and enjoyed by the society of the world, not stowed away in any one particular museum. I am very much in favor of the temporary loan on a rotation basis system. The world, as it is today, is getting smaller and smaller. Cultures are intermingling on almost every continent. It would be foolish and shortsighted to ignore the heritage of one’s neighbor. And the smaller the world gets, the more the societal problems become basically the same anywhere we go. Art is not only a reflection of culture but also of politics and socio-economic issues. Art, no matter the origin, it part of our collective history. Let’s be careful with it and share.

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/dutch-museums-take-initiative-to-repatriate-colonial-era-artefacts

http://www.richardjevans.com/lectures/looted-art-restitution/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/european-museums-may-loan-back-some-works-stolen-from-former-colonies/2018/08/08/ea0d8c16-95c2-11e8-818b-e9b7348cd87d_story.html?utm_term=.31105997925c