What’s Really Driving The Battle Over Antiquities?

With criticism coming from all sides over the issue of antiquities acquisition, some of the more prominent people at the helm of America’s great museums are making a concerted effort to explain to the public their role in the art collection process, and to allay concerns that the works on display may be ill-gotten gains. “In large part, [the drive to ‘repatriate’ works of art] has grown out of a growing antiquities debate: is knowledge better served by collecting and exhibiting objects in museums or preserving them in their original archaeological context?”