In the art news recently, I've been hearing lots of murmurings (and some louder voices) calling for art to be returned to its country of origin. Most recently, the Getty (LA) has agreed to return quite a number of historical pieces to Italy based on Italy's claim that the art work was looted in the 1960s.
My first thought is that stolen artwork should be returned to the rightful owner. I think that's an obvious one for most people. Especially when art is in the public collection, it's awful to have a piece stolen and out of the public eye.
Upon further reflection, however, I'm unsure whether museums should heed the current call to return cultural treasures to their country of origin.
Part of the wonder of art is being able to see it in person. I wasn't an art lover until my senior year of high school. Prior to then, art books (except for photography books) really bored me, and I didn't have any interest in the topic. I'd been to a few art museums as a kid, and I'd always been bored. In one memorable trip to Omaha's Joslyn Art Museum, my brothers and I got in trouble for joyriding the elevator (my poor father; I wonder why he took us anywhere).
My senior year of high school, I went to Washington DC for a model UN trip (India on a water rights council, for those interested). I wanted to hit the American History museum, and my "buddy" wanted to go to the art museum. We went to the art museum first, and I don't think we ever really made it to the American History Museum.
Bosch's version of The Wedding at Cana captivated me, as did Mary, Queen of Heaven. Both are Flemish pieces. We spent an entire day in the Flemish/Dutch art rooms marveling at the beautiful works.
For me, I didn't love and understand art until I could see it in person. Even now, I prefer to visit museums rather than just look at books. And there's a small part of me that dies with the idea that art belongs in the country where it was done.
Not everyone can afford to travel around the world, and traveling exhibits themselves are costly to put on. For some people, going to a museum in Los Angeles will be THE art experience of their life. And, in my mind, these people are entitled to see something more than local California paintings.
Certainly, I think some agreements need to be hashed out within the art world. I don't think we should encourage looting of artifacts just to populate our museums. But I also don't believe that all artwork should be returned to its home country, especially when the museums have long-standing exhibits (like many British museums) or even might have rightful claims to artwork they've purchased.