By Gunnar Schupelius
A radical view prevailed, according to which the art treasures in Berlin’s museums would have to be returned to their countries of origin. But it’s not that simple, because many of them were legally acquired and have been part of Berlin’s culture for more than 100 years, says Gunnar Schupelius.
An old debate is gaining new impetus: shortly before the end of the year, Berlin’s State Secretary for Diversity and Anti-Discrimination, Saraya Gomis, called for the bust of Nefertiti and the Pergamon Altar to be removed from the capital’s museums. The art treasures should be given immediately to Egypt and Turkey.
Such demands have been around for a long time, but after Foreign Minister Baerbock’s (Greens) effective trip to Nigeria in December, they gained much more weight.
Baerbock personally handed over the so-called “Benin Bronzes”, which had been on display in Berlin for more than 100 years. With a grand gesture, she called the handover “compensation for colonial crimes.”
The art treasures in Berlin’s museums are now all under general government suspicion, so to speak, of having been acquired unlawfully. From this follows the demand that they must be returned. Secretary of State Saraya Gomis jumps on this bandwagon.
In the case of Nefertiti (New Museum) and the Pergamon Altar (Pergamon Museum) the matter is actually clear. They were excavated by German engineers and brought to Germany in agreement with the Ottoman Empire government and Egyptian authorities.
Visitors stand at the bust of Nefertiti in the New Museum Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentral
There were contracts for this, says the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. Incidentally, the Berlin patron Henri James Simon (1851-1932) acquired the Nefertiti bust and donated it to the city of Berlin in 1920. The “James-Simon-Galerie” at the Neues Museum was therefore named after him.
But of course one can also question the treaties of the time with the rulers of the Ottoman Empire or with Egypt, which was under British rule.
It can be said that art treasures basically belong where they were created and found. State Secretary Gomis, who is of the opinion that all objects from the Berlin museums should be returned to their countries of origin, also claims this.
This radical view of things prevails. Is she the right view? Maybe, but what will then become of the Pergamon Museum, for example? This most famous of all Berlin museums has been renovated, rebuilt and expanded since 2013. The construction work will last until 2031 and will cost at least 800 million euros.
What is all this for? Can there be a Pergamon Museum without a Pergamon Altar? Can the Berlin Museum Island exist without the Pergamon Museum? And what would Berlin be without the Museum Island?
It is said that the art treasures should return so that the countries of origin can maintain their identity and tradition. But aren’t the Berlin museums and the Museum Island also part of the identity and tradition of this city and the people who live here?
These questions go much deeper than Ms. Gomis might have thought in her zeal.
Is Gunnar Schupelius right? Call: 030/2591 73153, or email: gunnar.schupelius@axelspringer.de