Reply To: Who owns the past?

[Kaitlyn]

This is a very hard question and I don’t believe there is one single correct answer. For example, it said hitler had purchased the statue, PRAXITELES’ APHRODITE OF KNIDOS is now located in Germany, along with a few other pieces of art. There were also pieces in Rome, and Italy. In my own opinion, I think ownership should belong to the culture, or country the piece of art originated from. In some cases these pieces of artwork are key artifacts in preserving history, the Egyptian art works would be a good example, or the Aegean. The ownership should belong in the hands of a museum or something similar so the art that is discovered cane studied and observed, after all it is one of the only ways to be able to connect with the past. So I think art should be available for all people to observe, enjoy, appreciate, and learn from. I think the best way to accomplish this is for the art to remain in its original culture, or country. Of course there are exceptions, like when pieces are being shown at different museums around the world, which sometimes helps to better educate people. This is definitely a tough question, but overall I think these magnificent historic works of art should be open for the public to view so they can appreciate and learn about the past cultures.