James B. Cuno

James Cuno

The international controversy over who "owns" antiquities has pitted museums against archaeologists and source countries where ancient artifacts are found. In his book Who Owns Antiquity?, James Cuno argued that antiquities are the cultural property of humankind, not of the countries that lay exclusive claim to them. Now in Whose Culture?, Cuno assembles preeminent museum directors, curators, and scholars to explain for themselves what's at stake in this struggle--and why the museums' critics couldn't be more wrong. Source countries and archaeologists favor tough cultural property laws restricting the export of antiquities, have fought for the return of artifacts from museums worldwide, and claim the acquisition of undocumented antiquities encourages looting of archaeological sites. In Whose Culture?, leading figures from universities and museums in the United States and Britain argue that modern nation-states have at best a dubious connection with the ancient cultures they claim to represent, and that archaeology has been misused by nationalistic identity politics. They explain why exhibition is essential to responsible acquisitions, why our shared art heritage trumps nationalist agendas, why restrictive cultural property laws put antiquities at risk from unstable governments--and more. Defending the principles of art as the legacy of all humankind and museums as instruments of inquiry and tolerance, Whose Culture? brings reasoned argument to an issue that for too long has been distorted by politics and emotionalism. In addition to the editor, the contributors are Kwame Anthony Appiah, Sir John Boardman, Michael F. Brown, Derek Gillman, Neil MacGregor, John Henry Merryman, Philippe de Montebello, David I. Owen, and James C. Y. Watt.

The Promise of Museums and the Debate Over Antiquities

Whose Culture?

An argument in support of the relevance of museums challenges recent criticisms that they promote imperialism, tracing the evolution of the modern museum as well as posing a case for the encyclopedic museum as a cosmopolitan institution that promotes tolerance, cultural diversity and an understanding of shared history.

In Praise of the Encyclopedic Museum

Museums Matter

Whether antiquities should be returned to the countries where they were found is one of the most urgent and controversial issues in the art world today, and it has pitted museums, private collectors, and dealers against source countries, archaeologists, and academics. Maintaining that the acquisition of undocumented antiquities by museums encourages the looting of archaeological sites, countries such as Italy, Greece, Egypt, Turkey, and China have claimed ancient artifacts as state property, called for their return from museums around the world, and passed laws against their future export. But in Who Owns Antiquity?, one of the world's leading museum directors vigorously challenges this nationalistic position, arguing that it is damaging and often disingenuous. "Antiquities," James Cuno argues, "are the cultural property of all humankind," "evidence of the world's ancient past and not that of a particular modern nation. They comprise antiquity, and antiquity knows no borders." Cuno argues that nationalistic retention and reclamation policies impede common access to this common heritage and encourage a dubious and dangerous politicization of antiquities--and of culture itself. Antiquities need to be protected from looting but also from nationalistic identity politics. To do this, Cuno calls for measures to broaden rather than restrict international access to antiquities. He advocates restoration of the system under which source countries would share newly discovered artifacts in exchange for archaeological help, and he argues that museums should again be allowed reasonable ways to acquire undocumented antiquities. Cuno explains how partage broadened access to our ancient heritage and helped create national museums in Cairo, Baghdad, and Kabul. The first extended defense of the side of museums in the struggle over antiquities, Who Owns Antiquity? is sure to be as important as it is controversial. Some images inside the book are unavailable due to digital copyright restrictions.

Museums and the Battle over Our Ancient Heritage

Who Owns Antiquity?

Thomas G. Weiss

The fourth volume of the J. Paul Getty Trust Occasional Papers in Cultural Heritage Policy series is the result of a multi-day discussion on the issue of cultural heritage under siege. It features an edited collection of papers and discussions by nineteen scholars and practitioners of different specialties in the field of cultural heritage. This paper, along with the other Occasional Papers, is free and downloadable online.

Laying the Foundation for a Legal and Political Framework to Protect Cultural Heritage at Risk in Zones of Armed Conflict

Cultural Heritage Under Siege

Peter Paul Rubens

Courtauld Institute of Art

Joanna Woodall

Mikhail Piotrovksy

Stephanie-Suzanne Durante

Gosudarstvennyi Ermitazh

Ernst Vegelin van Claerbergen

Musée de l'Ermitage (Saint-Pétersbourg, Russie).

Two celebrated and complementary collections of Rubens' sketches - in the Courtauld Institute of Art in London and The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg - are brought together to form the basis of this study of the artist's work. Often regarded as one of the most compelling and remarkable aspects of the artist's work, Rubens' oil sketches reveal the genesis of many of his most important commissions. This book, published to coincide with a major exhibition at the Hermitage Rooms, Courtauld Institute of Art, focuses on Rubens' projects where the Hermitage and Courtauld holdings are exceptionally rich, including the ceiling of the Banqueting House at Whitehall, and the now lost ceiling of the Jesuit church in Antwerp. By bringing together preparatory material from a number of major commissions this book aims to provide a concentrated account of the role of the oil sketch in Rubens' work.

Oil Sketches and Related Works from the State Hermitage Museum and the Courtauld Institute Gallery

Peter Paul Rubens, a Touch of Brilliance

The Promise of Museums and the Debate over Antiquities

James Cuno

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