Who Owns What?

In the worldwide debate over the ownership of ancient art and artifacts, countries claim that it is the right of the original civilization to house these creations.  However, “stewardship, not ownership, is what matters.  Trade in antiquities should be dictated not by politics, but by the demands of conservation, knowledge, and access” (Financial Times).  If this acclaimed art is accessible and maintained, countries should observe this as unification over their pasts rather than argue whose ownership is legitimate.   The importance should lie in the upkeep of the pieces so that they can be appreciated by the world rather than hidden by “original” countries that are incapable of giving the artwork the acknowledgement and recognition it so deserves. According to the amount of visitors annually to popular museums around the world, formerly colonial controlled civilizations, such as the Louvre in France, acquire multiple million attendees, where as civilizations regarded as original, such as the Istanbul Modern in Turkey, accumulates approximately half a million (B5).  These treasured artifacts wouldn’t have the opportunity to reach the world in original countries as they do in well-developed, highly esteemed colonial countries.

What is conquered also belongs to the conquerors.  The human nature of survival of the fittest doesn’t, and shouldn’t, change over ancient art.  James Cuno, a historian and curator, argues that, “art is the common heritage of humanity, and that seeing art objects through a nationalist framework prevents us from a fuller understanding of the past and present,” (B2).  The fact that former colonial countries hold ancient civilization’s artifacts tells a story of the history of the world.  Ancient Greece, for example, was “defeated and absorbed by the Romans in 146 BC, bringing an end to the independence of all of Greece,” (B3).  Italy now houses Grecian art, signifying their conquest and the intermittence of cultures.  Though some countries may argue that these artifacts are “key parts of their cultural identity,” being overtaken by a neighboring country is a defining part of their cultural history (prompt).  The conquerors of countries defeated their opponents fairly and are rewarded with the land and all that comes with it.  There are no “sore loser laws” in war. 

A creative way to solve the debate over legitimate ownership of ancient artifacts and art would be through appeasement of economic resources.  Although countries claim artifacts were previously bought legally, if there is no proof upheld, the country that holds the art should pay decent reparations.  This way the art’s country of origin can be economically sustained as they would if they were in possession of the artifact and the conquerors of the art can keep what they have.  “The burden of discovery will usually weigh more heavily on the purchaser, who, it is assumed, has the sophistication and resources to authenticate the history of a purchase,” otherwise the integrity should lie with the current owner, (B4).  This would also appease both sides because despite having to pay off the opposing side, countries that sustain the artifacts benefit in the long run as art becomes appreciated more overtime rather than depreciated and the original countries receive money and credit. 

Bibliography

1.     http://press.princeton.edu/titles/9387.html

2.     http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2010/12/15/antiquity-museums

3.     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greece

4.     http://www.fa-mag.com/news/true-art-ownership-5414.html

5.     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_visited_art_museums_in_the_world