Courses

Public fascination with art theft and destruction is evident from their almost daily coverage by media sources. This course will delve into intriguing legal, ethical, political, historical, cultural, and financial questions about contested art across five subject areas: (1) the acquisition of art during the Age of Imperialism (from Roman times through World War II); (2) Holocaust-era art takings and the evolution in legal and ethical responses to wartime looting; (3) the removal and repatriation of Indigenous cultural material; (4) theft from museums and private collectors; and (5) the illicit trade and destruction of antiquities. Students will be encouraged to think critically and comparatively about current high-profile stolen art disputes and issues, including the Parthenon Marbles; the Benin Bronzes and Colonial-era takings of African art; museum provenance research and restitution (or not) of Nazi-looted works; changing approaches to the repatriation of Indigenous cultural material and human remains; why thieves steal art from museums; legal systems’ varying responses to the good-faith acquisition of stolen art; and best responses to looting and destruction of antiquities.