Date of Award
Spring 2024
Thesis Type
Open Access
Degree Name
Honors Bachelor of Arts
Department
Art History
Sponsor
MacKenzie Moon Ryan
Committee Member
Emily Russell
Committee Member
Robert Vander Poppen
Abstract
This thesis examines how major Western museums perpetuate colonial narratives in their displays of cultural property through analyses of the displays of two ancient Egyptian antiquities–the Seated Scribe and the Bust of Nefertiti. Despite stated goals of decolonization, institutions like the Louvre and Neues Museum prioritize object presentations glorifying Western imperial excavations and acquisitions over providing historical and cultural context about the objects' Egyptian origins. Sparked by site visits to Egyptian museums and subsequent visits to Berlin’s Neues Museum and the Louvre in Paris, this thesis contrasts disappointing imperialist displays of Egyptian antiquities in European institutions to each object’s full art historical context. It establishes a moral framework using UNESCO's 1970 Convention and ICOM’s Code of Ethics to argue that museums should reevaluate ownership of artifacts acquired under colonial rule. Detailed case studies on the Seated Scribe and Bust of Nefertiti unpack the complex colonial histories of how they were extracted from Egypt and contextualized to celebrate Western "discoverers." Advocating an ethical decolonial approach, this thesis argues the ideal solution is repatriating these objects to Egypt. Pragmatically, it also provides guidelines for deconstructing colonial framing through revised museum practices–from rethinking gallery layouts to extend labeling that prioritizes Egyptian cultural narratives over European excavation histories. The conclusion reiterates that as global consciousness shifts away from Western hegemonic perspectives, museums must transform antiquities displays to uplift an object’s culture of origin over glorifying imperial conquests.
Recommended Citation
Shouse, Emmy, "You Got That From Where?: Unpacking Art Imperialism in Western Museums Through the Seated Scribe and the Bust of Nefertiti" (2024). Honors Program Theses. 237.
https://scholarship.rollins.edu/honors/237
Rights Holder
Emmy Shouse
Included in
African History Commons, Cultural Heritage Law Commons, Cultural History Commons, Diplomatic History Commons, European History Commons, Near Eastern Languages and Societies Commons, Other Arts and Humanities Commons, Other History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons, Theory and Criticism Commons
