Classical Bookworm

Anselm Kiefer: The Secret Life of Plants

Blood on Paper is a new book art exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. A new edition of The Secret Life of Plants (2001) by Anselm Kiefer, seen above, was commission to be the main piece of the show, but unfortunately I can't find a photo of it. Another variation on this theme can be seen here. If you can't make it to London, you can see a number of works from the exhibition online, and also browse through the V&A's collection of over 100 "artists books." Enjoy!

via Book Patrol

British Army and British Museum Team Up to Protect Iraqi Heritage, Sort Of

The Art Newspaper and The Guardian are reporting that the British Army and the British Museum are getting together to document and restore "iconic" archaeological sites and collections in Iraq. This seems fitting since Britain has a long history of pillaging collecting artifacts from Iraq (such as the golden goat posted yesterday), but it also seems like too little too late. According to the articles, the Brits have yet to consult with Iraqi officials (perhaps this is also traditional?) and they don't plan on actually guarding any sites to prevent further looting (???).

Part of their plan is to help restore small regional museums so that collections that were moved to Baghdad for safe-keeping (?) can move back home. Certainly it's good for people to have access to their cultural heritage wherever they live, but it seems a bit premature. The national museum has only just partially re-opened and things are still in such a state that customs officials who confiscate looted items can be murdered on the outskirts of Baghdad.

Considering that British Museum is chockablock with priceless Mesopotamian artifacts, it seems only right that they stay and protect the sites they discovered from the chaos they helped create. But this project is being called their "legacy," which says to me that they just want to make a few noble gestures before running out the door. Such a shame.

via Awilum

Stolen Mesopotamian Antiquities Starting to Resurface

I've reported a couple of times on the mass looting of Mesopotamian artifacts that took place after the U.S. invasion of Iraq. It seems that thanks to government rewards, some of the tens of thousands of missing pieces are trickling back to their home in the National Museum of Iraq.

Piece by priceless piece, artefact by ancient artefact, Iraq is slowly recovering its Mesopotamian treasures looted by bandits, militiamen and soldiers after Saddam Hussein was toppled in 2003.

An Iraqi government official says lured by offers of rewards, Iraqis are increasingly handing in an assortment of cups, vases, statuettes, daggers, plates and coins dating back to the very cradle of civilisation.

"We had 594 pieces returned this week alone," Abdul Zahra al-Talaqani, media director in the ministry of culture, tourism and antiquities, said in his office in Baghdad's tightly-protected Green Zone.

"Each day we get more and more." [more...]

More on Archaeological Looting in Iraq

Thanks to the exeptionally cultured Moderato for this:

In a long and devastating appraisal to be published in December, Lebanese archaeologist Joanne Farchakh says that armies of looters have not spared "one metre of these Sumerian capitals that have been buried under the sand for thousands of years.

"They systematically destroyed the remains of this civilisation in their tireless search for sellable artefacts: ancient cities, covering an estimated surface area of 20 square kilometres, which – if properly excavated – could have provided extensive new information concerning the development of the human race.

"Humankind is losing its past for a cuneiform tablet or a sculpture or piece of jewellery that the dealer buys and pays for in cash in a country devastated by war. Humankind is losing its history for the pleasure of private collectors living safely in their luxurious houses and ordering specific objects for their collection."

"Drive around—not over—archaeological sites."

Four years after the invasion of Iraq, the US military is now advising its troops to respect archaeological treasures with messages on playing cards like "Drive around—not over—archaeological sites" and "This site has survived for seventeen centuries. Will it and others survive you?"

The cards are also part of a larger archaeology awareness program for soldiers preparing for deployment at Fort Drum, New York. The goal, says Fort Drum archaeologist Laurie Rush, is twofold: to prevent unnecessary damage to ancient sites and to stem the illegal trade of artifacts in Iraq. By familiarizing troops with specific historical objects and sites, Rush hopes that they will know what to avoid when it comes to bivouacking or setting up gun installations. "Most troops are honorable people who want to do the right thing," says Rush. "But we're not naive. Damage to sites in this conflict is enormous."

Too bad they were "naive" (not the word I would use) in 2003 when some 15,000 ancient relics were looted from the Iraq National Museum during the invasion chaos. I guess when you don't mind destroying a living culture, ancient culture isn't even on the radar.

(And if you've seen US troops drive in Iraq, you know that they really need to be told what not to drive over.)