Answering ‘cultural genocide’: Iraq’s looted treasures to be displayed at Venice Biennale
The Iraq Museum of Baghdad is to display 40 ancient artifacts at the Venice Biennale this year, including several that were recently returned after its looting in 2003. The exhibition will be the first time all the objects have been legally allowed out of the country. Ancient clay pots, medical objects, musical instruments and figurines […]Hannah Ellis-Petersen writes for The Guardian:
The Iraq Museum of Baghdad is to display 40 ancient artifacts at the Venice Biennale this year, including several that were recently returned after its looting in 2003. The exhibition will be the first time all the objects have been legally allowed out of the country.
Ancient clay pots, medical objects, musical instruments and figurines of deities and animals will be among the items on display, some of which date back to 6,100 BC.
It will be the first time since 1988 that permission has been granted for anything from the museum’s collection to leave Iraq. The museum reopened in 2015 after being closed for 12 years while the stolen and smuggled objects taken during the invasion of Iraq were recovered.
