By John McDermott, Contributing Writer
On Wednesday, the Department of Art and Art History, along with the Office of Multicultural Engagement, Office of the Provost, Department of Anthropology, the Department of Ancient Greek and Roman Studies, Department of Public Policy, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and Department of Middle East and Islamic Studies hosted a lecture by Alexander Nagel entitled “Beyond a Single Narrative: Transparencies, Beautiful Objects, and Museum Archives.” Professor Felicia Else introduced Nagel by sharing some of his background with the attendees.
Nagel is an assistant professor of Art History and Museum Professions at the Fashion Institute of Technology at New York University. A native of Germany, he specializes in the cultural history of the Middle East. He earned his M.A. from Humboldt University and his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, studying sculptures from the ancient Persian Empire. He previously worked as a research assistant at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC and a curator at the National Museum of Asian Art.
Nagel began the lecture by talking about his background and introducing his work in the Middle East, briefly mentioning the Persian Empire and how it is not studied as closely as Ancient Greece and Rome. Nagel also touched on how the war between the United States and Iran and other conflicts in the region are impacting museums and how it compromises the safety of artifacts.
Nagel discussed his experience working with collections of art from Yemen that was acquired by a wealthy American man named Wendell Phillips. When he first encountered these collections, he believed that museums in the United States should not have acquired them. He explained that, in his opinion, the modern practice of loaning collections from other countries is a more just method of obtaining artifacts.
Some conflicts during the Iraq War took place at archaeological sites when the war started in 2003, so many archaeologists boycotted a major archaeological conference in Washington, DC, unhappy that they were caught in the crossfire of the war. Artists led movements protesting the war’s impact on culture, so the United States responded by establishing a committee that would prevent military conflicts from interfering with important archaeological sites.
Nagel believes that even though international loans are better than outright acquisitions, he still thinks repatriation is necessary in many cases. He explained that powerful countries like the United States can use artifacts as leverage, especially in military conflicts like the wars in the Middle East. The United States has a history of collecting ancient artifacts from other countries but also has attempted to claim some of these foreign artifacts as their own. An alabaster sculpture from Yemen, for example, made it into Life Magazine’s issue of influential cultural objects. The US tried to use this as an excuse for keeping a collection of the sculptures despite Yemen’s requests to get it back.
Nagel’s overall focus was on how international relations shape the contents of a museum and the work that archaeologists and curators carry out in forming exhibits.
At the end of the Q&A session following the talk, Nagel gave a call to action for Gettysburg College students, saying that the issue of repatriation “doesn’t get enough attention” and recommended that students “do investigative journalism,” encouraging them to question issues through “exciting projects” in classes.
