What exported exhibits and remains are returned home by European museums

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The West continues to rethink the events of the nineteenth century. Including - the attitude towards the colonies and their objects of art and history. After rumors that China staged a series of robberies in museums in Europe in order to return what was stolen by French (and not only) soldiers to their homeland, the question arose of whether it was really good to exhibit the loot. And some have come to the conclusion that it is not very good.

British and Africa

The Cambridge College of Jesus decided to return the Benin bronze statuette to Nigeria. The metal cockerel was brought from Africa by the soldiers of the punitive expedition of 1897. The rooster is a sacred bird in the traditional beliefs of Nigerians, and the sculpture has not only artistic and historical but also religious value. It seems that this statuette was stolen directly from the royal palace, where it decorated the altar dedicated to the veneration of the memory of the ancestors.

The college student union insisted on returning the statuette back in 2016, after which the bronze cockerel was temporarily placed in storage. Prior to that, the cockerel, however, was treated with care: there are three roosters on the coat of arms of the college, so the statuette donated by the retired officer was seen as the embodiment of the spirit of the college.

In addition, the college is now presenting an updated version of its story to students. For example, in the past, one of the philanthropists who donated large sums to the college was extremely praised. The fact that he earned money from the slave trade is now being considered. It seems that the management of the college is of the opinion that whether or not you turn a blind eye to the past will not change it - but it depends on whether the future will change.

Germany and Australia

The Germans decided to return to their homeland for a decent burial the remains of forty-five indigenous Australians, which for a long time were used as demonstration material without the consent of relatives or former, so to speak, owners. These remains were either recovered from the graves or obtained by murder. The Leipzig Museum is now sending them home and regrets years of disrespect for bodies. This is the second mass return of Australian remains from Germany in a year. In April, the remains of fifty-three people flew to a distant continent.

With German meticulousness, museum officials determined which Australian states the bodies should return to and contacted local authorities. "Unidentified" were only three deceased, which the Australian government is deliberately keeping until it finds their relatives.

Loot from the Jews?

The Victoria and Albert Museum in Britain hired an expert to learn about the history of the collection of gold jewelry of obscure origins - they all spread across Europe from Germany during the Third Reich, so there is reason to believe that we are talking about looting from Holocaust victims of the Jews. The collection of jewelry came to Britain in 1996, as a gift from Los Angeles residents Arthur and Rosalind Gilbert - Arthur was a native of London and decided to replenish the museum collections.

The jewelry investigation is being led by Jacques Schumacher, a twentieth-century tracing specialist. He has to establish the previous owners for one thousand two hundred items. So far, only one thing is certain - until the thirties, the owners of all jewelry were Jews. The museum has also posted photographs of several particularly valuable and recognizable items in art and antiques magazines, asking those who have any documentary evidence of these items to respond. It is unclear whether the museum is also going to give away the collection or instead pay compensation to the relatives of the former owners. However, it is likely that some of the jewelry was actually sold by the owners in order to leave for other countries. The only question is which one.

Holocaust again: scandal in Germany

Meanwhile, relatives of Holocaust survivors are outraged by the use of ashes from concentration camp crematoria, which are actually human remains. These ashes became part of a new monument in Berlin, erected by the Center for Political Beauty. The monument was erected near the place where in 1933 "democracy died" - that is, the Reichstag stood. The relatives of those killed in Auschwitz learned that it contains human ashes from the official website of the Center.

Outraged people demand a normal burial of the ashes, believing that the artists of the Center violated the right of the dead to rest. Despite the fact that many said that they understand in general the message of the artists, the relatives of the killed are sure that for this there was no need to use the real remains and such an attitude towards the killed is disrespectful. It must be said that the Center for Political Beauty is generally known for its controversial and provocative artistic actions.

The issue of restoring justice seems to be the hottest trend in the world of monuments and museums: How China has been robbing European museums for a decade, or the case of national honor.