One fine day in Sevilla, I was walking into a church when a notice board caught my attention: “4 paintings by Murillo were stolen from this church by a French guy 200 years ago and now are in museums in the USA, Canada, UK, and Russia rather than here where they belong.” On a whim, I decided to send letters and annoy some museum directors (or at least waste their secretary’s time). On further investigation, I started actually caring. If ten years ago, everybody was big on returning art stolen by the Nazis, isn’t it about time, we go back in time? I know the argument about, say, the British Museum and all the stuff taken during colonial times: the past is the past, let’s not ruffle it up, and besides millions of people go through the museum and enjoy the stuff. The more I’ve thought about it, though, the more I consider that argument total crap. Theft is theft, it’s time to return the stuff where it belongs.
During Napolean’s very brief rule of Spain, wagonloads after wagonloads of the best Spanish art was stolen and brought to France. From there, most of it was sold, and still remains in collections around the world. (Check out http://www.museoimaginado.com/expolio%20napoleónico.htm. Also check the letters I wrote at http://www.explodingtesticle.com/paintingsgone.php).
I find it strange that the Spanish government doesn’t care about their lost patrimony, nor do there appear to be any Spanish activists working on it—too much humility in this country, perhaps?
Anyway, if someone’s in a self-righteous mood and wants to annoy some museum directors, the next step would be to write some press releases and try to get some actual pressure. Any takers?
