Visitors stand at the bust of Nefertiti in the New Museum Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentral
She is Berlin’s most famous museum exhibit: Nefertiti. But if Berlin’s State Secretary for Diversity and Anti-Discrimination has her way, Berlin would have to return the Egyptian bust.
In an interview with the Tagesspiegel, Saraya Gomis (46) spoke out in favor of the return of Nefertiti and the Pergamon Altar. “Personally, I am in favor of the return of the Pergamon Altar and the bust of Nefertiti. But it is up to others to judge and decide.”
Gomis goes even further and says: “All the cultural assets from other regions of the world do not belong to us, they are here illegally.”
Saraya Gomis has spoken out in favor of returning the bust of Nefertiti and the Pergamon Altar Photo: DPA
The bust of Nefertiti, made around 1340 BC, is in the Neues Museum. It was found during an excavation approved by the Egyptian Antiquities Administration. A fund sharing was agreed.
The Pergamon Altar was discovered during excavations at the end of the 19th century. The presentation in the eponymous Pergamon Museum on the Museum Island goes back to a find-sharing agreement between the German government and the Ottoman Empire.