Episode 72: Does It Belong in a Museum?

Ask a Medievalist

Synopsis

We’ve all seen that scene in Indiana Jones where he’s clutching an artifact and shouting, “It belongs in a museum!” But nowadays in 2023, we tend to temper that idea–museums are fun, but who gets to hold a particular object, why, and for how long is a point of contention. Join Em and Jesse as they discuss one of the world’s oldest and largest museums, the British Museum. With a collection of over eight million objects, you know there’s some controversial stuff in there. We’ll also discuss other recent British Museum-related controversies, the illegal antiquities market, the differences between Lord Elgin and the city of Elgin, IL, and more.

Notes

1/ “Wake Up Thai People” Cold War map: https://transnationalhistory.net/doing/2020/04/12/a-tale-of-two-nations-the-creations-of-iran-and-thailand/

https://yalebooks.yale.edu/2017/12/22/cold-war-maps-to-wake-up-southeast-asian-buddhists/

2/ Article about the Met’s “aggressive” collection policy.

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/mar/20/new-york-metropolitan-museum-collection-artifacts-theft

https://www.icij.org/investigations/hidden-treasures/more-than-1000-artifacts-in-metropolitan-museum-of-art-catalog-linked-to-alleged-looting-and-trafficking-figures/

3/ I think “all art is counterfit” is a minor plot point of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier?

4/ Article about Met sending back Nepali statue: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/mar/20/new-york-metropolitan-museum-collection-artifacts-theft

5/ Article about illegal Cambodian statues at the Met: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/24/arts/cambodia-met-museum-looted-antiquities.html (not the one I remember seeing, but a much newer one)

6/ Article about illegal Gilgamesh tablets: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hobby-lobby-forfeits-rare-gilgamesh-tablet-smuggled-iraq-180978314/

7/ Article about guy sending back Cambodian statues: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/12/arts/design/james-clark-cambodian-antiquities.html

Also this: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/12/arts/design/lindemann-cambodia-khmer-statues-looting.html#:~:text=A%20family%20of%20billionaire%20art,American%20officials%20said%20on%20Tuesday.

8/ Elgin marbles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elgin_Marbles

https://www.britishmuseum.org/about-us/british-museum-story/contested-objects-collection/parthenon-sculptures

Versus Elgin, IL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elgin,_Illinois There is an adorable Doctor Who-themed cafe there. [Yes! Blue Box Cafe is so good!–JN]

9/ Memes:

The British Museum after it’s been decolonized

The guy putting the leaning tower of Pisa in his backpack

10/ The acts:

British Museum Act 1963: Also https://observer.com/2023/02/the-uk-has-a-60-year-old-law-prohibiting-repatriation-of-art-is-that-about-to-change/

National Heritage Act of 1983

11/ Sarah / Saartje Baartman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Baartman

The Suzan-Lori Parks play Venus: https://www.amazon.com/Venus-Suzan-Lori-Parks/dp/1559361352

The Kim Kardashian photos were recreated in Paste magazine, by the photographer who originally took them (Jean-Paul Goude). The original model was Carolina Beaumont.

12/ Kara Walker’s Sugar Baby. We also discussed it in episode 10 (note 16 and 24), episode 17 (note 1), and episode 42 (note 7).

https://creativetime.org/projects/karawalker/

13/ Venus de Milo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_de_Milo

See Lorenza Böttner’s Venus de Milo: http://lebastart.com/en/2018/11/lorenza-bottner-fall-flight/

14/ Favorite translation of the Odyssey: Fitzgerald, but I hear the new one by Emily Wilson is good. Favorite Gilgamesh is Stephen Mitchell, but Maria Headley is working on one and I am all a-twitter about it.

15/ Yilin Wang’s website: https://yilinwang.com/qiu-jin-british-museum/

Qiu Jin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qiu_Jin

https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/chinas-hidden-century/qiu-jin

16/ James Acaster’s Finders Keepers, Shut Up: https://youtu.be/x73PkUvArJY?si=5VrEBLpnKY0CqG1g

17/ Prince photo court case: https://news.artnet.com/art-world/the-supreme-court-ruling-lynn-goldsmith-andy-warhol-foundation-2304684

18/ Lichtenstein documentary: WHAAM! BLAM! Roy Lichtenstein and the Art of Appropriation: https://news.artnet.com/art-world/whaam-blam-roy-lichtenstein-documentary-2268088

19/ Copyright case about AI: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/21/arts/design/copyright-ai-artwork.html