Lost Treasures: Crisis and Guardianship
With Deborah Lehr and Tess Davis
Watch the full speech by Deborah Lehr here.
Watch the full speech by Tess Davis here.
For centuries, the looting and trafficking of antiquities have never ceased. Yet the strength humanity shows in safeguarding its heritage is no less than the creative power of its ancestors. At the 4th Dialogue of the C.E.A. Museums Cooperation Initiative, Deborah Lehr, Basilinna Chair and CEO and Founder of the Antiquities Coalition, and Tess Davis, Basilinna and Antiquities Coalition Executive Director, both focused on the astonishing creativity of museums as guardians of culture.
Crisis
During the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, the world held its breath as across the country thieves plundered ancient sites, storerooms, places of worship—and museums. However, when thieves threatened the Cairo Museum, in the midst of the chaos, brave Egyptians linked hands to form a human chain around it, risking their lives to save its priceless collection from looters.
This touching story reflects both humanity's heroic defense of its cultural heritage and the very real artifact crisis in today’s world.
In the early 19th century, the British Lord Elgin disgracefully looted the Parthenon marbles. Half a century later, the Old Summer Palace suffered devastating damage at the hands of the Anglo-French coalition.
Today, driven by the growing market for ancient art, the thefts of paintings around the world are common, and sites in conflict zones face even more perilous conditions. Cultural racketeering, the looting and trafficking of antiquities never went away; they are destroying our heritage and robbing future generations of their past.
Guardianship
Fortunately, awareness of cultural heritage protection has been growing in modern society: In 1954, Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict was signed in The Hague, Netherlands. In 1970, the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (hereinafter referred to as the 1970 Convention) was formally introduced, marking the first international legal instrument to protect cultural property in peacetime. Half a century after its adoption, the 1970 Convention is still a major instrument to stem the illicit trafficking of cultural property.
Besides the international community's efforts in formulating rules, museums, as stewards of culture, also have a responsibility to safeguard our shared heritage from threats. Both Deborah Lehr and Tess Davis emphasized the significant role that museums play in this regard.
Through Creative exhibitions, museums use their unmatched platform to help policymakers, the art market, and the general public better understand the threats from cultural racketeering and how we can fight back together.
The Kunsthaus Zürich, in Switzerland, has decided to adopt a new approach to explain the Bührle Collection. The exhibit now presents 120 artworks while also delving into the past of his collection and the state of provenance research as well as the history of some works that were owned by Jewish collectors who fell victim to Nazi persecution.
In an exhibit titled "Pathways of Art", the Museum Rietberg in Zurich addresses the ownership history of objects head on, showcasing the art while tackling tough questions such as: to whom do the objects belong, which stories are told and which are not told, and how do objects get to the museum.
In 2011, at the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art in Washington D.C., the exhibition "Echoes of the Past: The Buddhist Cave Temples of Shahng-tahng-shahn" used the Digital Cave to reconstruct caves as they appeared before their destruction in the first half of the twentieth century.
Through innovative collaboration around repatriation, including long-term loans, traveling exhibitions, and collaborative agreements, museums can also safeguard heritage from threats.
The Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art and the Republic of Yemen formed a partnership, allowing the museum to preserve, research, and present Yemeni artifacts until they can be safely repatriated.
Repatriated objects in the exhibition “Ancient Yemen: Incense, Art and Trade” at the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art
Museums can also strengthen best practices to be at the forefront of efforts to combat the illicit trade and foster a wider global movement.
Last year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York announced a commitment to new policies on ancient art and artifacts, including a recognition from Director Max Hollein that “Whatever unlawfully entered our collection, should not be in our collection.”
Finally, it is worth noting that museums' role in protecting human culture goes beyond combating artifact crimes. Even when culture is threatened by conflict, political instability, natural disasters, climate change, and even public health crises, museums remain on the frontlines, having the potential to be part of the solution to some of the world’s most pressing issues.
As Deborah Lehr pointed out, during the COVID-19, many cultural sites and museums depend on tourism revenue, and they were particularly hard hit around the world. However, it is encouraging that cultural heritage and museums play an important role as a driver of economic growth and sustainable development, stimulating the local economy.
For example, in the United States, the over 35,000 American museums contribute 50 billion dollars annually to the U.S. economy and provide over 700,000 jobs. In Uzbekistan, they are distinguishing themselves in Central Asia as leaders in modern art and hosting global conferences around creativity and economic growth.
In every aspect of human civilization, museums are safeguarding in their own way. They are no longer merely collectors but are expected to be leaders in this path, in developing world-class standards to help educate their own people and educate those of us around the world who enjoy culture, but also to be an important part of driving economic growth around the creative economy.
