"WHO OWNS ART?" MUSEUMS AND THE BATTLE OVER OUR ANCIENT HERITAGE
BELGIUM AND FRANCE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Art theft as a consequence of exploration, colonization, and warfare has a long history in Europe and has resulted in a myriad of ethical dilemmas for the contemporary museum world. This course will provide students with an introduction to European and African art, while also examining the significant role works of art played in the political arenas of Belgium’s colonial occupation of the Congo and the Nazi rise to power in Germany during World War II. Topics include: the development of international law for the protection of art and other aspects of cultural heritage, agencies engaged in the recovery of stolen works of art, and how art functions in the development of national identities. FRANCE (Paris)
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“There is culture and there is national culture. The former has always been a porous, constantly evolving and dynamic human creation, the result of numerous and endless influences from generations of contact with ‘foreign’ people. No culture of any significance has ever occurred or will ever occur in isolation. And no culture of any consequence has even been or will ever be free of distant influence." - James Cuno
BELGIUM (Brussels, Ghent, Bruges)
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1) Learn about the history of art collecting and museum display in Europe from the 17th-20th centuries. 2) Develop an understanding of the issues involved in defining cultural patrimony. 3) Develop an understanding of the challenges involved in protecting cultural property. 4) Become better familiar with the circumstances of production for European and African art from the 15th-20th centuries. |