The Inheritance of Looting. Medieval Trophies to Modern Museums

Situation

This project examines how looted objects become “art.” Key case studies will reveal how museum collections have been formed through histories of displacement and (mis)appropriation, and how cultural heritage has been defined through acts of war and violence. As an interdisciplinary team, we are also developing a virtual exhibition that digitally brings together looted artworks—some scattered across the globe, some lost or destroyed—and attempts to tell their stories to scholars and the broader public alike.