Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Italy Considers Additional Repatriations

"Culture GRRL" has reported that the new Italian Culture Minister has signalled a desire to seek more antiquities repatriations. Hopefully, to the extent he follows through, the new Culture Minister will take a "kindlier and gentler" approach to repatriations of artifacts that left Italy decades ago (when few seemed to really care) than his predecessor. For more, see: http://www.artsjournal.com/culturegrrl/2008/06/italys_new_culture_minister_si.html Repatriation demand by press release may help stir up nationalistic support at home and accolades from some in the archaeological community in the short run, but it does little to win Italy friends abroad in the long run. Let's hope Culture Minister Bondi avoids the defeated Minister Rutelli's histrionics in that regard.


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