Antiquities

Throughout his career, Max Anderson has sought to bring clarity and transparency to the complex and often confusing subject of antiquities and, more broadly, the stewardship of cultural property. Clear-eyed both in its understanding of the intellectual dimensions of the ongoing debate about this issue and in its mastery of detail, this beautifully written book will serve not only as a lucid introduction to those unfamiliar with this complex and unfamiliar terrain, but also a valuable reference for collectors and museum professionals. -- Timothy Rub, The George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive Officer, Philadelphia Museum of Art Well written, concise, informative, and timely; chock full of expert insider knowledge. This is must reading for all who are interested in the past and concerned about protecting our mutual heritage in the future. --Eric H. Cline, The George Washington University Anderson's new book should be titled: 'Antiquities: What Everyone Needs to Know <em>but is afraid to ask!</em>' Anderson dares to try to illuminate the contested claims of ownership to humanity's collective past. This book is a must-read if you yourself care about being able to participate in these fascinating, and, indeed fateful discussions, in a fully informed way. --Selma Holo, USC Fisher Museum of Art Maxwell Anderson has, for more than thirty years, suggested novel and constructive solutions for the perennial problem of conflicting claims for archaeological material. It is unlikely that the governments of source countries, archaeologists, private collectors, or public museum officers will ever see eye to eye on the vexing question of who owns antiquity, but for anyone with an interest in the matter, Anderson lays out the issues with refreshing clarity and informed insights. --Gary Tinterow, Director, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Antiquities provides a most comprehensive and thoughtful guide to this vastly complicated subject, for collectors, students and scholars, museum professionals, and more. Anderson achieves a provocative balance between cosmopolitan and contextual arguments, between interests of archaeologists and art historians, and intrinsic and functional values of both ancient art and archaeological materials. Readers learn about the history of global trade, important legal cases and international treaties, and about the future of antiquities with drones, databases, and archaeogaming. Anderson's personal and longtime ardor for antiquities threads throughout the book, reminding us about the importance of the past, our common past, how it defines us all, and how it can help us make sense of our humanity and our present. -- Susana Smith Bautista, Director of Public Engagement, USC Pacific Asia Museum