British Museum

The British Museum in London is the United Kingdom's - and one of the world's - largest and most important museums of human history and culture. The museum was established in 1753 and was based largely on the collections of the physician and scientist Sir Hans Sloane. The museum first opened to the public on January 15, 1759 in Montagu House in Bloomsbury, on the site of the current museum building.

Criticisms

There is an ongoing controversy about the right of museums to possess artifacts taken from other countries, and the British Museum is a notable target for criticism. The Elgin Marbles and the Benin Bronzes are among its most disputed collections, and organisations have been formed demanding the return of both sets of artifacts to their native countries of Greece and Nigeria respectively.

Related Topics:
Elgin Marbles - Benin Bronzes - Greece - Nigeria

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The British Museum has refused to return either set, or any of its other disputed items, stating that the "restitutionist premise, that whatever was made in a country must return to an original geographical site, would empty both the British Museum and the other great museums of the world".http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/gr/andart.html The Museum has also argued that the British Museum Act of 1963 legally prevents it from selling any of its valuable artifacts, even the ones not on display. Critics have particularly argued against the right of the British Museum to own objects which it does not share with the public.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Supporters of the Museum claim that it has provided protection for artifacts that may have otherwise been damaged or destroyed if they had been left in their original environments. While some critics have accepted this, they also argue that the artifacts should now be returned to their countries of origin if there is sufficient expertise and desire there to preserve them. The British Museum has also argued that its objects benefit from their setting, where they can be seen for free alongside other artifacts from all over the world, although a counter-argument is that the objects would be better displayed in their native countries, closer to their original context.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

While the British Museum continues to assert that it is an appropriate custodian and has an inalienable right to its disputed artifacts under British law, opponents of the Museum continue to criticise it for theft, and what is perceived to be a cavalier attitude towards the right of other cultures to possess their own works.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~