BellaOnline Forums Education Art Appreciation Should these treasures be returned?

This is such an interesting topic!
Another point to think about:
These objects that are being shown in museums on the other side of the world are like little ambassadors connecting people to a culture they may know nothing about otherwise. I thought of this when looking at some beautiful African masks in the Chicago Art Institute a couple of weeks ago. The sight of those masks made me want to know more about where they came from, and made news about Africa seem a little more meaningful to me.
The same thing with the small but choice display of 5 C BC Greek vases there. I felt connected with a place and time that is impossible to visit otherwise.
Of course, if the objects have a religious meaning that is still important to the people whose ancestors made it there is no question in my mind; it should go back. Or if the museum has a huge collection of nearly identical objects, how many similar little pots do you need to display? I also have bad feelings about displaying human remains, even when they are treated with respect in a museum I still wish that they had been left where their loved ones put them however long ago.
I saw the Greek statues from the Parthenon at the British Museum many years ago and thrilled at the sight, but do think that they should go back to Greece the minute their new museum is ready to receive them. Well, maybe let the Brits keep a couple of bits of the frieze so their children can study them and learn about them.
It is a problem and I guess there are no perfect answers.

I have to agree with you, Claybird, that it is wonderful when artifacts can serve as a bridge between countries, helping others to understand what they cannot see first hand.

To be honest with you I find some errors in thought of keeping something for the "greater good". Who would be determining the rules and regulations of things being kept? Is the country or person who is being deprived of their link to culture, spiritual growth, or history to just be the looser because someone has deemed them unfit? It is entirely possible that the act which occurred in which the art was lost was the devastating factor that made their culture decline.

What if their own country feels the rulers are unfit? What if it is a military rulership that the country chafes under, and that military rulership wants the items solely to destroy them and get cash?

At some point I do feel an international group of "protectors" should ensure the item is kept safe, vs being destroyed ...

If there own country deemed their rulers unfit then of course there wouldn't be a controversy over who was to get the item and the museum who had the art would have the support of the nation.
How often can you pin point items being kept in a different museums as items being wanted for return of their original country to for the motive of being destroyed??
I'm just curious to this point of question because most items are wanted back by their country as a source of cultural pride or symbolism. My question is not to be argumentative but to be kept informed.

I think there's always a controversy

Look at when the US shot down a satellite recently. Russia and China both argued against it even though both had shot down satellites for far less valid reasons. Countries like to argue for their rights just to make sure they maintain them.

Any request made by an entity wanting that request to go through is couched in language to ensure the request is considered by "the world" as the morally proper way to go. Nobody ever says "give me items because I want the cash". A lawsuit with a huge cash settlement is always argued that the amount is high "to prevent pharmaceutical companies from doing this again to someone else" not because "I like the idea of having lots of money" It is human nature and the nature of community action.

Let's take North Korea. North Korea has a long history of starving its civilians and killing them off. Let's say North Korea needed lead for its nuclear reactors and the world had put an embargo on lead exports to North Korea because of this. Now let's say there were 10 large lead statues created in North Korean in 1,000 BC that were currently in Britain at the museum there. North Korea suddenly demands their return because "they are cultural treasures" despite many other North Korean items being ignored in other parts of the world.

Should Britain send them back, knowing their destination is the melting pot? The North Koreans don't want them back, and don't want them melted. The North Koreans want food.