Tiffany Jenkins on Cultural Property: AJA review

I have noted earlier reviews of Jenkins' Keeping their marbles here. Guy D. Middleton (Newcastle University) has reviewed the book for AJA:

"If anything, Jenkins’ book convinces me that the issue of claims for the return of objects is something best approached on a case-by-case basis, that museums do have a role in soft diplomacy with communities that suffered due to past imperialism and that the efforts at building better relationships between museums and other groups are worthy."

The Parthenon Sculptures: Moving on?

Parthenon frieze © David Gill

The 200th anniversary of the arrival of the Parthenon marbles in the British Museum is being marked. The anniversary is explored by Contantine Sandis ("Britain has kept the ‘Elgin Marbles’ for 200 years – now it's time to pass them on", The Conversation June 7, 2016). He suggests:

The time is right for all surviving sculptures to be reunited under this single roof [The New Acropolis Museum]. They should be displayed, for free, in a joint Greek and British international museum. This bicentenary provides the perfect opportunity for the two nations to collaborate instead of bicker over ownership. The British Museum would be praised worldwide for all its actions, culminating in a collaborative partnership that genuinely benefits humanity. It is high time that ownership of the past became a thing of the past and we began to think in terms of joint custody instead.

These are architectural marbles, and they need to be reunited visually in the same city as the extant monument, the Parthenon, that forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

"Enabling the whole world to see, study and enjoy the sculptures of the Parthenon"

The Duveen Gallery © David Gill

Sir Richard Lambert has responded to the request by the Greek Government to mediate on the Parthenon sculptures [26 March 2015, letter]. The key message from the Trustees is this: "After full and careful consideration, we have decided respectfully to decline this request".

The position of the Encyclopedic Museum is presented: "Museums holding Greek works, whether in Greece, the UK or elsewhere in the world, are naturally united in a shared endeavour to show the importance of the legacy of ancient Greece. The British Museum is committed to playing its full part in sharing the value of that legacy for all humanity".

Visitor figures are pulled out: More than 6 million visitors a year visit the British Museum, and thereby the Parthenon Sculptures, free of charge. 

Lambert concludes his letter: "In conclusion, therefore, we would invite our colleagues in Greek museums to continue to work with us and to explore new ways of enabling the whole world to see, study and enjoy the sculptures of the Parthenon". He could have added "... in London, not Athens".

Yet the statement misses the key point. The architectural and visual context for these wonderful fifth century sculptures is in Athens, under Greek light.

I recorded my thoughts on this topic back in 2009.

Proposal to extend MOU with Italy

Object label spotted
in North American encylopedic museum
reminding us of the success of the present MOU
Source: David Gill

Those who visit major encyclopedic museums such as New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art will know that the Italian government has been willing to share archaeological material with a North American audience. This generous action reflects the way that the Italian authorities are demonstrating their commitment to working with the North American curatorial community in spite of past acquisitions.

CPAC will be considering an extension to the MOU with Italy and there is still time to comment. Further details can be found here.

Leave comments here (Docket no. DOS-2015-10).

Why loan the odd pedimental sculpture from the Parthenon?

The personification of the river Ilissos from the Parthenon
© David Gill

Lee Rosenbaum has explored why Nel MacGregor has been keen to make a loan of the 'Ilissos' statue to the Hermitage Museum ("Preparing for Lawsuit? Why Might Neil MacGregor Be Doubling Down on His Elgin Marbles Bet?", Culturegrrl December 9, 2014).

Rosenbaum suggests the following as a possible explanation of MacGregor's tactic:

More people view these cultural treasures in London than in Athens. And now, with the incipient loan program, the British Museum’s reach could be further broadened. Therefore, the world is better off if custodianship of these treasures remains in London.

This one statue is part of a pedimental group, that forms part of an architectural whole from a major fifth century BC temple known as the Parthenon. Is the time coming when these sculptures are placed in a specially designed museum and within line of site from the Athenian akropolis, a UNESCO World Heritage site?

Visiting the British Museum

Source: Google

Visitors to Google today will probably have seen an image of the British Museum. It marks the 255th anniversary of the opening of the museum to the public ("The British Museum celebrates 255 years with record visitor numbers", The Guardian January 15, 2014). There were 6.7 million visitors who went to the museum, up by 20% on the previous year. 471,000 visitors went to the Pompeii and Herculaneum exhibition (behind the 1.6 million who went to Tutankhamun back in 1972).

Cameron on the Parthenon marbles

Duveen Gallery, British Museum © David Gill

The Greek press has picked up on comments made by British Prime Minister David Cameron ("Cameron rules out return of Parthenon marbles", Ekathimerini February 21, 2013). After being asked about the Koh-i-Noor diamond, Cameron added that Britain would not be returning the "Elgin marbles". It is perhaps astonishing, but not surprising, that Cameron is so unaware of the sensitivities of the issue that he does not refer to the architectural sculptures removed from the Parthenon in a more appropriate way.

What is more interesting is the way that Cameron makes the case for the Encyclopedic Museums: "The right answer is for the British Museum and other cultural institutions to do exactly what they do, which is to link up with other institutions around the world to make sure that the things which we have and look after so well are properly shared with people around the world". It has perhaps escaped the notice of Cameron, and his civil servants advising him, that a large number of the signatories of the Declaration on the Universal Museum (which has just "celebrated" its tenth anniversary) have had to return recently surfaced antiquities to countries such as Greece, Italy and Turkey.

Cuno and the Encyclopedic Museum

Next week I am due to be lecturing on the Encyclopedic Museum in Cambridge. I am grateful to Lee Rosenbaum of Culturegrrl for her comments on James Cuno's Davos discussion on the subject. Many Encyclopedic Museums have returned large numbers of antiquities since the Declaration on the Universal Museum.

I think that we are going to have a good debate in Cambridge.

Details
Wednesday, 6th February 2013, 4.30-6.00 pm
Heritage Group Research Seminar
McDonald Seminar Room

Universal Museums: Flawed Thinking

I have been thinking about the December 2002 Declaration on the Importance and Value of Universal Museums. The stress of the Declaration was on repatriation and a vague distancing from the problem of looted antiquities. Several of the North American museums represented by the signatories have returned archaeological acquisitions in the wake of the Medici Conspiracy. It has been notable that James Cuno in his promotion of the encyclopedic museum has failed to address this flawed aspect of the declaration.  It was clear from last year's AIA Annual Meeting that the curator of classical antiquities at one of the signatory museums was taking great delight in showing images of a major classical bronze that has a less than clear collecting history. And that same museum has been trying to break the AAMD's position on acquisitions by some less than straightforward pieces.

Does the Encyclopedic Museum Matter?

All welcome.

It is hoped to set up a videolink via gotomeeting. Please email me to be included.

The Encyclopedic Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art © David Gill

The topic for the UCS Heritage Group in January 2013 will be the Encyclopedic Museum. All welcome.

If readers of LM would like to participate via videolink please let me know.

UPDATE: There will be a link via GoToMeeting. Please contact me in early January for connection details.

Presenting the Past in the 21st Century

I attended the session on Presenting the Past in the 21st century. The moderator introduced the session by saying that ethical issues should not be aired at the session. There was an interesting session by Michael Bennett of the Cleveland Museum of Art who showed the Apollo Sauroktonos as the object that introduces visitors to the classical part. His talk was peppered ith references to the encyclopedic museum and cosmopolitanism. The second presentation looked at Harvard and it would have been interesting to learn about the use of the orphans in the display. The third and fourth slots considered the ISAW sponsored Vani exhibition. This made the excellent point that achaeological context matters when it comes to interpretation.
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Museums Matter

My copy of James Cuno's Museums Matter: In Praise of the Encyclopedic Museum (University of Chicago Press, 2011) has arrived. There are four main chapters covering the Enlightenment, Discursive, Cosmopolitan and Imperial Museums.

A browse suggests that Cuno has chosen to sidestep one of the most pressing issues for so-called encyclopedic museums in North America, Europe and Japan: the acquisition of newly surfaced antiquities. The "Medici Conspiracy" has brought about the return of some 130 antiquities to Italy from North American collections. How have these high profile encylopedic museums damaged the reputation of museums in general?

I look forward to reading Museums Matter and to reflect on this telling title.

Cultural Property in a Global Perspective

Benin bronze in the British Museum © David Gill

Last night we attended the inaugural Robert Sainsbury Lecture at UEA in Norwich. It was delivered to a packed audience by Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum, on the theme of “Art in a Global Perspective”.

MacGregor explored the theme of the encyclopedic museum noting parallel changes across different continents and cultures. He had a short discussion of the Benin bronzes, derived from the notorious punitive expedition,  and drew on the thinking of Kwame Anthony Appiah's essay in Cosmopolitanism. MacGregor adopted James Cuno's much criticised position when he suggested that cultural property can form part of the political agenda. He perhaps went a little too far when he suggested that cultural property "myths" or (to use his word) "untruths" were deliberately constructed to make the case for the return of cultural property. Such a suggestion in the case of the Benin bronzes belittles the horrendous "facts" of the Benin Punitive Expedition so clearly documented in The Times (London).

Only a Scot could have commented so wittily about the claims on the Lewis Chessmen by suggesting that Norway had yet to ask for their return.

The lecture itself was delivered with the usual passion and enthusiasm associated with MacGregor and his discussion was placed against the formation of the Sainsbury collection, that incidentally contains significant pieces of Cycladic sculpture.

Cuno: "the Getty has had complicated relationships with foreign governments"

James Cuno has reflected on his first working week at the Getty ("Getty Trust CEO James Cuno wraps up debut week", LA Times August 6, 2011). There seems to be a hint at a move towards a so-called licit market ("the benefits of a more open exchange of goods") in the way that the story is reported.

But Cuno stresses that he will support the Getty's current antiquities acquisition policy, designed to deter looting: "The policy is to only acquire objects that can be shown to have left their presumed country of origin before 1970."

"It's the right thing for the Getty, not only because the Getty has had complicated relationships with foreign governments in the past but because the Getty is more than a museum," he says. "The conservation work and foundation work that we do internationally can't be compromised."

The key issue is that collecting histories need to be demonstrated through authenticated documentation.

We look forward to reading his Rice University Campbell Lectures that will appear as Museums Matter: In Praise of the Encyclopedic Museum (Chicago UP) [website] this December. Previous titles have posed questions: Whose Muse?; Who Owns Antiquity?; Whose Culture? Is the new title a break with precedent and perhaps more than a little suggestive?

Chasing Aphrodite: The Culture of Collecting

Ralph Frammolino, one of the authors of Chasing Aphrodite, has been interviewed on PBS news hour. There are informative comments on the purpose of the trial of Dr Marion True.

Source.

The Lewis Chessmen

Lewis Chessmen © David Gill

BBC Radio Scotland has broadcast an interview about the Lewis Chessmen. A local councillor, Norman A. MacDonald, from the island's Uig ward argues that some should remain on permanent display at Stornoway. He makes the point that Lewis was the final (archaeological) context. Interestingly the interviewer uses the "universal museum" point that more people would see the chessmen in London and Edinburgh ("given their importance").

Madrid and the "encyclopedic embrace of the world's material culture"

Tom Flynn has an interesting response to the Greek pots in Madrid's Museo Arqueologico Nacional appearing to be linked to the Medici Dossier.

Flynn concentrates on a quote by Miguel Angel Elvira Barba, the director at the time of the acquisition in 1999:

“We have taken an enormous step forward both in terms of quality and quantity; [this] collection now puts us among the ranks of the greatest museums in Europe and the US.”

Flynn interprets this:

Here, then, is further telling evidence, if any were needed, that European and North American museums remain locked in the same competitive race towards an encyclopedic embrace of the world's material culture, no matter what the consequences might be for archaeology.

In other words Madrid's acquisitions were attempting to place it alongside Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the J. Paul Getty Museum. This is an issue left largely unaddressed by James Cuno who has yet (as far as I can see) to comment in detail on why North American (and European) museums and private collectors were happily acquiring recently-surfaced antiquities from Italy (and elsewhere).

Flynn addresses the issue of conflating post-1970 acquisitions and objects that were acquired before that international benchmark.

Image
Detail of amphora showing the departure of a warrior. From the Medici Dossier.

"Preserving this rich heritage"

I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to colleagues at Swansea University's Egypt Centre. In a speech to be delivered later today, Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) Heritage minister Alun Ffred Jones will be launching a new museum strategy for Wales ("Welsh Museums Look to the Future", WAG Press Release June 16, 2010 [Welsh language version]; "Museums in Wales urged to appeal to the young", BBC June 16, 2010). This will take place in the Swansea Museum, founded in 1841 and also home to Egyptian antiquities.

The minister is quoted:

"Wales is a unique and enriching place in which to live and work, with a distinctive character ... The museums of Wales play a critical part in both preserving this rich heritage and in sharing the excitement of their stories locally, nationally and internationally. Museums need to build on their tradition of working together to make effective use of resources.

The strategy document draws attention to the award-winning volunteering scheme at the Egypt Centre. The BBC report has an interview with Assistant Curator Wendy Goodridge.

Bibliography
Gill, David W.J. "From Wellcome Museum to Egypt Centre: Displaying Egyptology in Swansea." Göttinger Miszellen 205 (2005): 47-54.

Neil MacGregor at the Hay Festival

Neil MacGregor spoke fluently and engagingly at the Hay Festival today about BBC Radio 4's series, 'A History of the World'. His starting point was an illustration of some pot sherds from Kilwa in Tanzania. These pointed us to China and the Persian Gulf. His emphasis was on how objects can help to write history.

A major theme of his talk was the enlightenment ideal. His second illustration was an Asante drum acquired in West Virginia. However recent study has shown that it was created in West Africa. How did it get to North America? MacGregor emphasised that the drum has a 'trajectory of meanings'. He argued that its appropriate home was in the cosmopolitan community of London.

This moved us into a North American buckskin map showing dating to 1774-75. This still had two neat holes where the animal had been shot through the right shoulder. The inks used were derived from European sources.  MacGregor explored the issue of mapping and control.

He then turned to Captain Cook and the Pacific with a Hawaiian feather helmet. From the there he showed what was probably the first object to be collected by a European in Australia: a eucalyptus bark shield from Botany Bay.

MacGregor closed with a consideration of a jade bi with poem from Beijing.

A member of the audience did ask about the repatriation of objects. MacGregor repeated the position of the universal museum and cited the Parthenon sculptures.

The museum had brought along a number of objects from the series (complete with curatorial staff) to one of the stands at the Festival. I even managed to hold early tools from the Olduvai Gorge.

This was an excellent event and deliberately moved the focus away from the Mediterranean to place the British Museum's objects in a world setting.

Images
© David Gill, 2010