Beute

The authority of museums is crumbling, and many want to know: Where do the objects they display come from? Suddenly, the dinosaur in Berlin’s Museum of Natural History is not only the largest of its kind in the world, but also a testament to German colonial history in eastern Africa. For several years now, the editors Bénédicte Savoy, Isabelle Dolezalek, Merten Lagatz, Philippa Sissis, Robert Skwirblies, Luca Frepoli and Simon Lindner have compiled images and writings about the taking, appropriation and return of cultural assets from over 2,000 years of human history. The result is a pictorial atlas and an anthology on art theft and cultural heritage. Both books not only tell stories about objects in the context of their creation, but in the mirror of changing ownership relationships and claims. The conversation focuses on current political debates about racism, colonialism and their unbroken prevalence.

In cooperation with Matthes & Seitz Berlin