Capitoline Venus at NGA: The Pretty Face of Cultural Exchange Could Use a Better Perch

The State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has posted a video on its website about the loan of the Capitoline Venus to the National Gallery of Art. See
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid756595811001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAr4PECyE~,2SkcYDwPFGO281KN1MzLpKHKfKpAnM_B&bclid=0&bctid=1034206751001 and http://exchanges.state.gov/videos/cultural-programs-videos/the-capitoline-venus.html

The Cultural Heritage Center website suggests that Venus is visiting the NGA due to the renewed MOU with Italy, but the video itself and the literature for the exhibit make no such claim. Moreover, restrictions on the movements of Italian artifacts into the United States seem antithetical to the concept of cultural exchange. I'm all for sending American art to be displayed in Italy in return, but not for restrictions on American citizens importing ancient art, particularly when the Italian Government imposes no similar restrictions on its owns citizens.

Anyway, its wrong for me make the ageless goddess into a political pawn. Instead, let me say that I wish that the NGA, which is usually known for its beautiful displays, had given Venus a better perch upon which we could admire her. Instead of looking down at us from a nice marbled niche (as depicted in the NGA brochure), in reality she sits there in the middle of the common area staring at the dome of the West Building like an out of place tourist. Is that any way to treat such a lady? What a shame.

Penn Museum Kowtows to Chinese to Regain Exhibit

The Silk Road Mummies Exhibit is now on again at the University of Pennsylvania Museum, though for a limited time. See
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/11/artifacts-will-be-on-view-at-silk-road-exhibit/

The New York Times blamed the mess on a bureaucratic snafu between Chinese national and regional authorities, but a Chinese Embassy spokesman blamed the fiasco on the Museum:

In an interview, Mr. Wang said that the regulations governing the display of antiquities in China are very strict, and artifacts are not supposed to be on display overseas for more than a year. (The exhibition opened at the Bowers Museum last March.)

�The exhibition was originally approved to be on display for only two stops, one in California, the other in Houston,� Mr. Wang said.

However, after repeated requests from the University of Pennsylvania, Beijing had decided to grant it special approval. What was important, he said, was that Americans understand they have to follow China�s rules.

�We just want the American public to know we have the relevant laws and the regulations, he said. �You�ve got to follow the laws,� he added.

A museum spokeswoman, Pam Kosty, declined to comment on the nature of the original mixup with the Chinese government, but said, �We�re very grateful for the Chinese Embassy � a lot of Chinese officials really worked with us to make this happen.�

Indeed! As mentioned in a prior post, China is supposed to provide long-term loans as part of its MOU with the United States. See http://ordinarymag.blogspot.com/2011/02/china-withdraws-silk-road-mummies-from.html. However, China will not do so and apparently even has a law that forbids it.

Rather than hold the Chinese to their obligations, our State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is silent. Meanwhile, University of Pennsylvania Museum archaeologists can do little more than kowtow to Chinese authority to save their precious show. Of course, archaeologists who supported the China MOU pitched an entirely different vision of cultural cooperation at the time, but kowtowing to the Chinese has in fact become the sad reality.

Addendum: The Philadelphia Inquirer has more about what led to this snafu. It does appear that the US Ambassador to China helped resolve the matter. See http://articles.philly.com/2011-02-12/news/28530800_1_chinese-mummies-chinese-artifacts-chinese-officials

China Withdraws Silk Road Mummies from Show

China has asked the University of Pennsylvania Museum to withdraw all its artifacts from a heavily promoted show about the Silk Road. See
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/china-asks-penn-museum-to-remove-all-artifacts-from-upcoming-show/?scp=2&sq=uighur&st=cse

The last minute change will be costly for the museum. Refunds will have to be made on pre-paid tickets and promotional dollars have been wasted.

I'm a bit dubious of claims that the Chinese Government has suddenly become sensitive to the concerns of the Uighur people. They have been reported to oppose the public display of mummies found in the area.

Frankly, I wonder if this could instead be some form of collective punishment against the museum. Not all that long ago, archaeologists associated with the museum raised concerns about the Chinese demolition of Old Kashgar. See
http://safecorner.savingantiquities.org/2009/07/statement-of-concern-and-appeal-for.html

In any event, this decision carries with it some real irony. University of Pennsylvania archaeologists pressed the State Department to approve a MOU with China that has restricted the ability of Americans to import Chinese cultural artifacts. That MOU was supposed to encourage long term loans of artifacts. See
http://exchanges.state.gov/heritage/culprop/chfact.html

China's withdrawal of artifacts from this show would seem to violate China's commitment to do so, and undersore, once again, that the State Department only seems adept at negotiating giveaways to foreign powers.

Addendum: The Washington Post has reported this fiasco cost the University of Pennsylvania Museum $2 million in wasted cash and two years in wasted effort. See
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/03/AR2011020306498.html