Could the Spoliation Advisory Panel be on to something? The panel's recent ruling in the case involving a Jewish family's claim over eight drawings belonging to and held by the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. The panel ruled against the family's moral right over the drawings for numerous reasons which can be found in its report on the case.
But what I find interesting is that the Spoliation panel made a recommendation to the Courtauld to explain and account for the drawings' history and provenance during and since the Nazi era with special reference to the claimant's relationship with the drawings whenever on show. This is highly sensible and I hope the Courtauld complies.
It's a proposal that I think museums could do well to adopt when displaying contested material. So the Parthenon Marbles in both London and Athens would carry a fair account of the contention between the two camps.
No doubt the Greeks have explained this in the new Acropolis Museum but the British Museum has to acknowledge that this very real and live matter is not going away.
Likewise the Benin bronzes in the same museum should have an accompanying description of not only how they came to be in Great Russell Street but also a summary of the years over which restitution claims were made.
Some museums like Kelvingrove in Glasgow and the Horniman Museum in London are making steps in the right direction with such displays.
What this move will do is to produce a more open and honest platform for dialogue; it gives the public a better understanding of material that they, after all, own and as a result they might become more interested in what our treasure houses are about.
Museums shouldn't be afraid of this - it is the natural progression of things. Eventually museums will have to become far more a part of the everyday social and political dialogue for their survival. And it would be a great day when the public know enough to start demanding this.
But what I find interesting is that the Spoliation panel made a recommendation to the Courtauld to explain and account for the drawings' history and provenance during and since the Nazi era with special reference to the claimant's relationship with the drawings whenever on show. This is highly sensible and I hope the Courtauld complies.
It's a proposal that I think museums could do well to adopt when displaying contested material. So the Parthenon Marbles in both London and Athens would carry a fair account of the contention between the two camps.
No doubt the Greeks have explained this in the new Acropolis Museum but the British Museum has to acknowledge that this very real and live matter is not going away.
Likewise the Benin bronzes in the same museum should have an accompanying description of not only how they came to be in Great Russell Street but also a summary of the years over which restitution claims were made.
Some museums like Kelvingrove in Glasgow and the Horniman Museum in London are making steps in the right direction with such displays.
What this move will do is to produce a more open and honest platform for dialogue; it gives the public a better understanding of material that they, after all, own and as a result they might become more interested in what our treasure houses are about.
Museums shouldn't be afraid of this - it is the natural progression of things. Eventually museums will have to become far more a part of the everyday social and political dialogue for their survival. And it would be a great day when the public know enough to start demanding this.
