Who Owns Art?

Panel debate under the shadow of the Acropolis

The year 2021 was a landmark year for restitution. Artifacts long housed in museums in Germany, Belgium, the U.S. and France were returned to their African countries of origin. Meanwhile, Britain has recently agreed that it will hold formal talks with Greece about the fate of the famed Parthenon marbles, although no date has been set. This panel took a hard look at some of the thorniest questions surrounding restitution issues: Who should be tasked with determining whether works have dubious origins? And what is the responsibility of governments and institutions in deciding whether those works should be returned?

Director, Acropolis Museum Tristram Hunt, Director, Victoria and Albert Museum Tiffany Jenkins, Writer and Broadcaster Victor Ehikhamenor, Artist debate these questions and more. Moderated by Farah Nayeri, Culture Writer, The New York Times.