On working on my research paper on deaccessioning, I have come across information on repatriation of art to their country of origin. I had always thought this should be a "Duh!" kind of thing; of course the pieces should go back to where they came from originally. But now I'm not as sure.
Many countries do not have adequate facilities or personnel to properly care for items. There are alarms being sounded about the Egyptian Museum in Cairo; there is fear art and artifacts will be irreparably harmed if they stay there under the current conditions.
There are also problems with war and looting. Museums in Iraq were looted and items stolen or destroyed. A case can be made that the items are safer where they currently reside.
I'm just not sure. Is it better to repatriate the art and possibly loose or keep it protected where it is? What do you think?
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