Methods of Art History

Here’s an interesting article about a current problem some American museums are facing with Thai antiquities in their collections…and the recognition of foreign countries’ laws by the US.

Ethical issues are constantly before us. Should these works remain in American collections if the Thai government has done little on its own to protect them (see the last few paragraphs for this suggestion)? Are we obligated to safeguard objects, temporarily, with the intention of returning them to their rightful owners as soon as possible? This, to me, seems to be the answer. But what rights do museums have? …collectors?

You might also be interested in this recent update on the trial of Marion True, the former curator of antiquities at the Getty.

An article about the Amber Room, stolen from the Soviet Union by the Nazis.

A remarkable exhibit that highlights international efforts to reunite works of art with their former owners or descendants.

When you get a chance, head over to my Motherblog to review my blogroll…there are blogs there that will be of interest to you in this class.

So what do we mean when we say “intention”?  Can we determine what what an artist meant in her or his work?  Is it important to know what the artist meant?  Is it more (or less) important to understand what contemporary viewers understood of a work?  For Michelangelo, the Sistine Chapel ceiling was literally a pain in the neck (see his poetry and drawings).  Was it more?  Or do we want it to be more?

…in the news. Yesterday’s Washington Post offers this story about the difficulties encountered by an heir trying to reclaim her father-in-law’s art collection confiscated and “sold” during WWII.

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