ARH401A

036998

Using specific, historical and contemporary cases of art plundered or stolen during times of war, occupation and peace, this course will examine the historical, political and legal framework of each case; ethical issues associated with the formation of private collections and public museums in various periods; the public and private contemporary responses in each of these cases; the recurring debate over cultural property and its ownership; and the dilemma of recovery and repatriation of art collections. Case studies will include the looting of Greece by the Romans and the consequences of Graecia capta for the development of Roman art and the reception of classical art; the removal of art from Italy and Egypt by Napoleon at the end of the 18th century and the role that the spoils of war and imperialism played in the formation of the core collections of various European museums; the removal of sculpture from the Parthenon by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century and the past and present controversy over the return of the marbles; the seizure by the Third Reich of millions of works of art from museums in Nazi-occupied countries and of art owned by Jews and attempts to recover and return works of art to rightful owners or heirs; the looting of the Baghdad and Cairo Museums during recent conflicts and the multi-billion dollar trade in stolen art and antiquities that is closely linked to drugs and arms dealing; and recent cases of art theft, including the unsolved case of the 1990 theft of 13 major works of art from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, juxtaposed to romanticized notions of art thieves and forgers (e.g., 'The Thomas Crown Affair', 1968 film; re-made 1999).

GRD - Regular Grades A, B, C, D, E

Undergraduate

015975

ARH501A