Iraq, Turkey and Russia Make Demands
As the first day of summer approaches, U.S. museums are dealing with art and antiquity challenges on several fronts. Issues have arisen with Iraq, Turkey and Russia, all of which seek to repatriate or protect their art and cultural heritage, albeit for very different reasons and by different methods.
Iraq: According to Iraq Independent News, the United States promised to return Iraqi antiquities found in 2003 and sent to the U.S., but has failed to fulfill that promise. The Iraqi Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has therefore stopped dealing with certain U.S. archeological and exploration teams working in Iraq. Iraq’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities indicated that unless the U.S. returns more than 10,000 artifacts removed from the country, “there will be no relations between us.”
Turkey: Turkey launched a worldwide campaign this year to reclaim artifacts allegedly excavated and exported illegally. Museums around the world – including the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Dumbarton Oaks Museum in Washington, D.C., and the Cleveland Museum of Art – have received requests from Turkey for information about objects in their collections. The Plain Dealer recently reported that “Turkey has threatened to deny requests for loans to exhibitions and has said legal action is possible if it doesn’t get cooperation.”
Russia: Citing apprehension over the possibility of court-ordered seizures, in 2010 Russia instituted an embargo on art loans to U.S. museums. The move took place after Chabad, a Jewish sect seeking title and possession of books and manuscripts in Russia, obtained a default judgment; Russia had declined to participate, claiming the court had no jurisdiction. The situation has only worsened since, with the Met refusing to send works to Moscow for an exhibition last year. Federal legislation was proposed this year that would immunize loaned art works from lawsuits, except in the case of Nazi-era claims (S. 2212 and H.R. 4086: the Foreign Cultural Exchange Jurisdictional Immunity Clarification Act).