"How do you think your ancestors got these?" by Liz Miller https://padlet.com/ehmiller2/eurs390 Colonial and Imperial Acquisition of Art en-us 2020-10-14 17:32:03 UTC 2025-12-11 11:32:09 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f3db.png Museum Scene, Black Panther, Marvel Studios 2018 film. ehmiller2 https://padlet.com/ehmiller2/eurs390/wish/829606834 The title of this curation comes from Killmonger in this scene from Black Panther, “How do you think your ancestors got these?” Killmonger justifies his actions, killing guards and stealing the artifacts, because he is acquiring them in the same way they were acquired by the British. These of course are the fictional British at the fictional ‘Museum of Great Britain’, but this clearly links back to our world, a connection wonderfully articulated by Lise Ragbir in a 2018 opinion piece for Hyperallergic. To see a real example of artifacts taken by British soldiers in Benin, head to the British Museum. ]]> 2020-10-14 17:33:53 UTC https://padlet.com/ehmiller2/eurs390/wish/829606834 Benin Bronzes, British Museum, hundreds of bronze and brass sculptures and plaques from the 16th Century on made in Benin City. Looted by British soldiers in 1897. ehmiller2 https://padlet.com/ehmiller2/eurs390/wish/829615703 These artifacts, beautifully crafted sculptures showing the skill and complexity of the Kingdom of Benin, are the classic example of imperialist art acquisition, taken when Benin City was captured and became a part of the British Empire. The website of the British Museum does recognize the colonial past in the acquisition of these pieces, but the use of the passive voice throughout the text leaves much to be desired in the telling of this history. Recently, the British Museum has announced that it will loan some of the figures to the upcoming Benin Royal Museum. Head to Benin City to learn about the new Museum.]]> 2020-10-14 17:36:02 UTC https://padlet.com/ehmiller2/eurs390/wish/829615703 "Benin Royal Museum: The Ancient City is Not Ready.” Article in LivingSpaces by Yakubu Paul, a Nigerian writer and architect published June 11, 2020. ehmiller2 https://padlet.com/ehmiller2/eurs390/wish/829622882 The colonial past lingers in the British announcement to loan back the famous figures to the the forthcoming Benin Royal Museum, whose website is currently under copyright to the Trustees of the British Museum. Yakubu Paul criticizes not only the plan to 'loan back' these looted items, but also the fact that the architect chosen to design the new Museum is not Nigerian, but British-Ghanaian. He argues that this continues the history of colonial rule and "places Benin at the mercy of Europe for its individuality." He also raises questions similar to Lise Ragbir about who museums belong to and who feels belonging inside a museum. Head to Berlin to see the next example of looted art. ]]> 2020-10-14 17:37:47 UTC https://padlet.com/ehmiller2/eurs390/wish/829622882 Bust of Nefertiti, c. 1350 BCE, analyzed in Khan Academy Video, currently on display at the Neues Museum in Berlin ehmiller2 https://padlet.com/ehmiller2/eurs390/wish/829628789 The Bust of Nefertiti is a remarkable piece of Egyptian artwork made from limestone and plaster. The Bust was removed from Egypt in 1913 and, as noted by the narrators of the Khan Academy video, has become one of the most famous and treasured items in the Neues Museum in Berlin. Head to Cairo to see how to Egyptian authorities feel about this placement.]]> 2020-10-14 17:39:11 UTC https://padlet.com/ehmiller2/eurs390/wish/829628789 “Egypt renews demands to retrieve Nefertiti bust from Germany” article published in Al-Monitor on October 2, 2020 by Ibrahim Ayyad. ehmiller2 https://padlet.com/ehmiller2/eurs390/wish/829632649 As the country of origin of the Bust of Nefertiti, Egypt has been requesting the bust be returned almost since it was first removed. Germany insists that the bust was removed under the archeological standards of the day, but Egyptian authorities argue that the significance of the bust, now on full display in the Neues Museum, was under exaggerated in order to the removal to be legal. Germany continues to insist that the bust will not be returned. Head to Saqarah, Egypt to learn about another one of Egypt's stolen artifacts. ]]> 2020-10-14 17:40:06 UTC https://padlet.com/ehmiller2/eurs390/wish/829632649 Mask of Kanefernefer, funerary mask dating to the New Kingdom in Egypt 1295 – 1186 BCE; found in 1952 and stolen between 1959 and 1973. ehmiller2 https://padlet.com/ehmiller2/eurs390/wish/829647786 Stolen Egyptian antiquities are all too common, leading to the government to create departments to oversee Egyptian antiquities, such as the Supreme Council of Antiquities, now the Ministry of State for Antiquities. The Mark of Kanefernefer, a funerary mask of an Egyptian noblewoman, was uncovered by Egyptian archeologists in 1952. Sometime between 1966 and 1973, the mask disappeared with no paper trail. In the 1990's, it reappeared on the antiquities market and was purchased by the St. Louis Art Museum. The Egyptian government insisted that it be returned. Head to St. Louis to see what happened. ]]> 2020-10-14 17:43:44 UTC https://padlet.com/ehmiller2/eurs390/wish/829647786 US vs. Mask of Ka-Nefer-Nefer, court case in the 8th circuit court which allowed the Saint Louis Art Museum to retain the stolen work ehmiller2 https://padlet.com/ehmiller2/eurs390/wish/829656659 When the US government, at the request of Egyptian authorities, attempted to get the museum to return the piece to Egypt, the St. Louis Art Museum took an unprecedented step and sued the government to hold onto the statue. In the subsequent court case, US vs. Mask of Ka-Nefer-Nefer, it was ruled that the St. Louis Art Museum was able to keep the mask, it part because it was purchased in good faith. 
This case is unusual compared to some of the others because it was stolen during the modern era through art smuggling, not imperial or colonial relationships, but the same mechanisms of the Western right of acquisition seem to be at work. A museum using its resources to sue to keep an item is nearly unprecedented. It is also important to note that the case for the return of a stolen artifact to Egypt, its country of origin, was litigated entirely on US soil under US law. Feeling down? Head back to Berlin for some better news. ]]> 2020-10-14 17:45:45 UTC https://padlet.com/ehmiller2/eurs390/wish/829656659 Hattusa Sphinx, large stone sculpture dating from 1300-1200 BCE, discovered by German archeologists in 1907, taken in Germany in 1915, one sculpture returned in 1924, one in 2011. ehmiller2 https://padlet.com/ehmiller2/eurs390/wish/829666767 The Hattusa Sphinx stood at the entrance to Hattusa, the ancient capital of the Hittite Empire in Turkey. The Turkish government issued a many treats to Germany to insure the sphinx's return, including threatening to expel German archeologists working in Turkey. A successful example of repatriation shows promise, but the Hattusa sphinx are nowhere near as famous as the Benin Bronzes or the Bust of Nefertiti, perhaps another factor in their successful return. Want to learn about more repatriation efforts? Head to Washington, D.C. ]]> 2020-10-14 17:48:08 UTC https://padlet.com/ehmiller2/eurs390/wish/829666767 “The Road to Repatriation: The National Museum of the American Indian works with Native Tribes to bring sacred artifacts home again.” Article from the Smithsonian Magazine by Kenneth R. Fletcher, published November 25, 2008. ehmiller2 https://padlet.com/ehmiller2/eurs390/wish/829673804 Through the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, Native Tribes are able to request and receive the return of sacred artifacts and remains. This repatriation is a promising step in recognizing the past in which Native people, land, and culture were destroyed, removed, and exploited for the gain of the European settlers and their descendants. These efforts still are not perfect, as they do not necessarily apply to private collections or in all cases, but efforts continue to right some of these wrongs. Not everyone, however, agrees that art should be repatriated. For another perspective, head to New York. ]]> 2020-10-14 17:49:39 UTC https://padlet.com/ehmiller2/eurs390/wish/829673804 “Culture War: The Case Against Repatriating Museum Artifacts” opinion article in Foreign Affairs published in December 2014 by James Cuno (President/CEO of J Paul Getty Trust). ehmiller2 https://padlet.com/ehmiller2/eurs390/wish/829682404 This article argues against repatriation and instead for the value of so-called 'encyclopedic' museums which allow visitors to understand wide swaths of history in one museum visit. This argument stands in opposition to the perspective offered by Lise Ragbir, that museums are currently not constructed for every audience.
Another argument made in the article is that it can be dangerous to return pieces to their original homes when there is risk of destruction. One of the examples Cuno gives is Egypt, which he argues is unable to protect this precious art due to political instability. This narrative continues the colonial and imperialist justification for why the art was taken in the first place, because the countries in which the work was created are unable to take care of it due to inferiority, racial or otherwise. There is value in letting wonderful works for art from all around the world be seen by as many people as possible, but retaining stolen works of art in Western museums, creating a barrier between the original creators of the artwork and their descendants, cannot be the way forward. ]]> 2020-10-14 17:51:31 UTC https://padlet.com/ehmiller2/eurs390/wish/829682404 "Germany to return ancient sphinx to Turkey" article published in DW on October 3, 2011 by Greg Wiser ehmiller2 https://padlet.com/ehmiller2/eurs390/wish/829696863 In 2011, Germany announced that they would return the Sphinx of Hattusa to Turkey. Two sphinxes had been initially brought from Turkey to Germany in 1915. One of the sphinxes was returned in 1924, but the other remained in Germany. During this announcement, however, authorities made it very clear that this in no way set a precedent which could lead to the return of the Bust of Nefertiti to Egypt. Head to Turkey to learn more about the sphinxes. ]]> 2020-10-14 17:54:44 UTC https://padlet.com/ehmiller2/eurs390/wish/829696863 Welcome to this Digital Exhibition ehmiller2 https://padlet.com/ehmiller2/eurs390/wish/829789371 This collection of digital items invites you to scrutinize museum practices into the acquisition, past and present and continued possession of works of art from different cultures, especially when these works come from former colonies. In her work “Where Europe Begins” Japanese author Yoko Tawada writes, “I also made the acquaintance of a shaman, but not in Siberia; it was much later, in a museum of anthropology in Europe… [The museum] deprived him permanently of his power” (134). Tawada is telling of a practice of colonization which has continued to today, the theft and placement of sculpture, human remains, and other culturally significant artifacts from colonized civilizations into museums of the colonizer. 
Any trip to the British Museum or the Louvre immediately displays a bounty of items which are not from Britain or France, but instead were taken from colonial possessions. However, in some cases, at the time of acquisition, the item and its place of origin were within the borders of the museum. The British Museum acquired some of the Benin Bronzes after the British takeover of Benin, so Benin was part of the British Empire allowing for the logical inclusion in the British Museum. Now, when borders have changed and independence has been achieved, what should be done with these legacies of colonialism?
Many complicated questions surround these works. Who has a stronger claim, the culture that produced the work or the culture that ‘discovered it’? How are the pieces presented thousands of miles from where they were made? Who gets to view and appreciate these pieces? Who gets to study them? How much are they worth? How are these works currently generating revenue? Who profits off of a potential sale? Should a nation’s request for artwork to be returned recognized? What institution gets to make decisions related to the ownership of artwork? The United Nations? Museum Boards? What about in the case of individual collectors? What if stolen pieces are acquired in good faith, should they be returned? 
This exhibition explores how these questions, and more are being answered by some museums and governments today. The examples displayed here are only some of the pieces which have been or are currently in dispute over ownership. Some have been returned or are planned to be loaned back, but these instances are not without their continued issues. Some seem unlikely to be returned and have even been litigated on. Some argue that these pieces should not be returned as they can be safety appreciated and understood where they currently stand. Others argue that museums themselves remain welcoming only for the colonizer. To explore these themes and more, begin your journey at Lake Turkana, the approximate location of the fictional Marvel nation, Wakanda.
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