The law will apply only in “rare cases,” one expert says, but nevertheless signals a shift from past legal restrictions.
Restitution
Posted inNews
Questions Remain Around Return of 50+ Ancient Artifacts to Mexico
Mexican officials said the objects were “voluntarily returned” by citizens from Austria, Canada, Switzerland, and the US, but have not provided further details.
Posted inOpinion
When Will Museums Tell the Whole Truth About Their Antiquities?
Some US museums will overlook the dubious origins of acquisitions if it suits their purposes.
Posted inOpinion
Cambodia’s Stolen Treasures Must Be Returned to Where They Belong
And no, Cambodia doesn’t need the Metropolitan Museum’s help in preserving its cultural heritage.
Posted inOpinion
UK Welcomes Restitution, Just not Anti-Colonialism
“The work of cultural restitution must be about what we give up, not just what or how we give back,” writes Dan Hicks in response to Arts Council England’s new restitution guidelines for museums.
Posted inNews
UK’s Horniman Museum to Return 72 Benin Artifacts to Nigeria
It is the first national museum in England to agree to restitute looted Benin items, increasing pressure on the British Museum to do the same.
Posted inOpinion
The Risks That Lurk in Europe’s “Scramble for Decolonization”
As the global consensus on restitution passes the tipping point, some skepticism towards these sudden, improbable Damascene conversions towards restitution is probably justified.
Posted inNews
Smithsonian Adopts Landmark Policy on Ethical Restitution
Previously, the Smithsonian held that its museums were entitled to retain an artifact so long as its provenance rested on solid legal ground.
Posted inNews
Smithsonian Announces Landmark Decision to Repatriate Benin Bronzes
The institution says it will return most of the 39 artifacts in its collection to Nigeria for eventual display at the Benin City National Museum.
Posted inBooks
The Forgotten Story of Modern Art’s Great Jewish Collectors
Charles Dellheim’s study tells the tale of a small group of Jewish art dealers and collectors who played a key role in the changing art world of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Posted inArt
Looking to the Future of Art Restitution
For many people and organizations,restitution is simply the beginning of a long fight for cultural heritage and the right to remember.
Posted inNews
In Ceremony, Met Museum Officially Returns Benin Bronzes to Nigeria
The museum and the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments entered into a shared agreement to collaborate on mutual loans of Benin objects and other “exchanges of expertise and art.”