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There are several reasons why Britain’s new Labour administration may be closer to agreeing a loan of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece than the previous Conservative government, even though a full transfer of ownership remains firmly off the agenda
About Cultural Restitution
Cultural restitution is the process by which a moveable object of historic or cultural value is returned to its country of origin after being seized, looted or acquired against the will of its owners. However, it is more than just an act of return. Restitution represents a growing recognition of the need to correct injustices committed in the past.
Today, as society’s values change, the legitimacy and ownership of these objects – as well as those thought to be procured legally – is coming under a global spotlight. As complicated and sensitive as this debate may be, there’s no stopping the growing desire for change. This involves new policies that are built on openness and fairness, policies that will help build bridges of friendship with communities of origin.
Latest News
There are several reasons why Britain’s new Labour administration may be closer to agreeing a loan of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece than the previous Conservative government, even though a full transfer of ownership remains firmly off the agenda
Investigations into the collecting patterns of major US museums has resulted in two immensely readable and influential books covering today’s illegal trade in trafficking antiquities: Chasing Aphrodite and The Medici Conspiracy
In a handover ceremony at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford this week, a cherished cultural object – a sunhat taken violently by British colonisers during punitive expeditions to Sarawak - was returned to the Kenyah Badeng community
EXPLORE
Mapping the location of cultural restitutions
Our extensive Global Archive provides invaluable links to many other restitutions and other restitution news taking place around the world - organised by country.
View our interactive Map
A Museum Perspective
“It is right to return the stave to Nigeria. Repatriation can be a powerful cultural, spiritual and symbolic act which recognises the wrongs of the past and restores some sense of justice.”
Keith Merrin, Director of Tyne & Wear Archives and Museums, January 2022, following a decision to repatriate a Benin brass stave to Nigeria
