In the wake of the destruction of irreplaceable cultural monuments by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), there are many who fight – in a variety of ways – to protect Humanity’s heritage.
The devastating effects of Islamic extremism in the Middle East have touched almost every part of the globe. Most important to remember are the innocent lives lost and families affected by continued senseless attacks as well as the men and women who have paid the ultimate price to protect their countries.
In addition to the destruction of human life has also come the bombing, bulldozing, and demolition of irreplaceable cultural artifacts and sites that have formed the core of what we know about the birth of civilization in Mesopotamia.
“ ‘The Missing: Rebuilding the Past’ is the first exhibition to showcase the efforts of artists and scholars to resist the destruction of the past through creative and innovative reactions, protests, and reconstructions. The curator, Professor Erin Thompson, will talk about its works, in a variety of media – photography, drawing, video, 3D printing – which explore the destruction of art at many historical moments, from ancient Greece to World War II to the present. The artists and scholars of “The Missing” show that there are many ways, from the creative to the technical, in which they and we can help fight ISIS’ message by making the destroyed past live again. Erin Thompson is America’s only full-time professor of art crime. She studies the damage done to humanity’s shared heritage through looting, theft, and the deliberate destruction of art. Currently, she is researching the ways in which terrorist groups sell and destroy antiquities in order to support their genocidal campaigns. She has discussed art crime topics in The New York Times and on CNN, NPR, Al Jazeera America, and the Freakonomics podcast. Her book, Possession: The Curious History of Private Collectors, will be published by Yale University Press next year.”
Dr. Thompson’s lecture will take place December 17 at the National Arts Club in New York City.
To learn more, visit the National Arts Club.
December 17: Shared Heritage Lecture & Exhibition
