ABSTRACT
Today, it would be unthinkable for museums to acquire objects that, for example, were looted during the recent conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan or Syria. But museum galleries and storerooms are a vivid reminder that this has not always been the case. They hold objects which, for example, were captured by British troops during Imperial raids in the 19th Century. This troubling inheritance is a major challenge for museums. They are being confronted with increasing calls from activists and governments not only to acknowledge and condemn this violent past, but also to take visible actions to redress this dark legacy. This includes the morally and legally complex issues of reparations, reconciliation, and the restitution and repatriation of such objects to their countries of origin. The central problem in this tense debate is that museum records pertaining to past and on-going restitution cases are generally not public, meaning that the challenges and restrictions faced by museums are poorly understood. Much has been written about the moral obligations of museums, but these contributions are largely disconnected from knowledge of museum practices and the sometimes arcane legal and practical constraints. This chapter addresses these issues by using previously inaccessible records to cast light on how one of the UK’s major museums – the V&A – has dealt with restitution cases, ranging from Nazi-looted art to colonial-era artefacts. The chapter reveals the scale of the problem, the challenges involved in addressing this troubling inheritance, and considers the myriad implications for efforts to prevent the acquisition of problematic objects.
