Heists of Cultural Artifacts
The upcoming movie, The Great Chinese Art Heist, could be both educational and entertaining. Directed by Crazy Rich Asians filmmaker, Jon Chu, the movie will explore ownership of objects, history, and culture. It will cover a string of heists across famous locations, including Drottningholm Palace, the Château de Fontainebleau, and the KODE. Since 2010, these heists have one consistent pattern – targeting Chinese artifacts. The heists have proven to be both carefully planned and sophisticated. In Stockholm, the heist was less than six minutes. In Paris, it was over in seven minutes. A successful heist in Norway lasted merely two minutes. One rumor suggested in the movie is that the Chinese government is behind the heists and that China is attempting to reclaim its stolen cultural property.
Many of the treasures are Chinese artifacts that were once plundered by British and French colonialists. The art was taken during China’s Century of Humiliation between 1839 and 1939. It was a period of intervention and subjugation by Western powers. The treasures were originally held in Beijing’s Old Summer Palace, which was a residence to the last Chinese dynasty. There are some antiquities with Chinese provenance that have been sold at recent auctions to buyers from China for millions of dollars – ranging from $18 million to $60 million. But those in museums will most likely never go up for auction, so, the issue of ever reclaiming them becomes a grave concern. Are heists the answer? The Great Chinese Art Heist exposes us to an important lesson of ownership of objects held within museums and in private collections. It reveals one instance in which it’s problematic for original creators to reclaim their objects, especially those of high value. Without full cooperation by the current holders, there may be no lawful way for China to retrieve its stolen treasures. This movie has the potential to make society become more aware of particular objects housed in museums, palaces, and private collections that were once wrongfully taken. We must find mechanisms to support creators reclaiming their looted objects.
Stealing Culture supports the development of students’ writing and research skills. This blog post was written by our research assistant, Brianna Duvall, a student at the University of Wyoming College of Law.