An article in The New York Times
called “Seeking Return of Art, Turkey Jolts Museums” brought to my attention
that repatriation cases could turn ugly. In September of 2012, Turkey had an aggressive
campaign to reclaim “looted” antiquities. They have, in turn, received an
ancient sphinx and other treasures from their history. Recently, Turkish officials have filed a criminal
complaint to investigate the illegal excavation of 18 antiquities that are now
in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Turkey’s director-general of cultural
heritage and museums, Murat Suslu, told Met officials to “prove the provenance of
ancient figurines and golden bowls in the collection, or Turkey could halt
lending treasures.” This has now taken effect. The Met calls it cultural blackmail, but Suslu
is adamant that the objects belong to Turkey.
This has
caused a debate because Turkey has shifted borders for centuries, so it is not
certain the objects belong to them. Museums are using the Unesco convention to
keep items that were acquired before 1970. Turkey is citing a 1960 Ottoman-era
law, which bans the export of antiquites, to claim any object after that date,
although the ratified the Unesco convention in 1981. Turkey is also refusing to
lend treasures, delaying archaeological excavation licensing, and putting down
museums publicly.
Turkey
has had their fair share of repatriation success, which could be due to their
agrressive ways. Hermann Parzinger, president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage
Foundation has said;
“The Turks are engaging in polemics
and nasty politics. They should be careful about making moral claims when their
museums are full of looted treasures”
The
Turkish officials still are harping on the Met, while the Met is trying to hold
onto the objects. The Turkish say stealing is wrong, and apparently will do
anything to get their antiquities back. This article made me realize how controversial
and important the issue of repatriation is. It could be a lot worse than this
case, too.
By Kiera Lanni
Source
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/01/arts/design/turkeys-efforts-to-repatriate-art-alarm-museums.html?pagewanted=all
I think you definitely bring up important considerations in the repatriation and heritage debates. Ultimately, is the repatriation of objects a moral or ethical issue? And if so, who decides who's right? What happens when the situation is not clear cut, black and white (as most aren't)? But just because Turkey is resorting to "cultural blackmail" does it mean that they don't have a right to demand repatriation of objects?
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that you point out the fact that Turkey's borders have changed so much over the years. This is true for any ancient civilization as well. How can we say that certain antiquities belong to a certain group if that same group doesn't exist anymore?
ReplyDelete