Our Purpose
A free online resource to help educate a wider audience about issues and developments in the cultural restitution debate
About Returning Heritage
Returning Heritage was established in 2019 as a not-for-profit online resource with the aim of providing reliable information in the pressing debate about cultural restitution. We highlight important initiatives and provide access to global news about the repatriation of cultural property looted during the colonial era.
We focus in particular, but not exclusively, on the return of colonial-sourced artefacts. This is where established legal structures are gradually being superseded by new policies based on moral and ethical considerations. There are other excellent online resources that cover news about Nazi-looted art and spoliation, so this period of illicit seizure is not our principal focus. However, we do keep a watch on incidents of modern-day trafficking – to help authorities stay alert to the continuing risks they may face from organised networks of art traffickers and the damage they inflict on a nation's cultural heritage.
We aim to be even-handed, focussing on conveying news and information that audiences can use to inform their own judgement about this important debate. But we remain an advocate for fair and just solutions. Sometimes, these solutions point towards the repatriation of objects to their communities of origin. But other solutions also exist. What is important is to ensure that all information is communicated with accuracy and fairness.
We’re not afraid to express our opinions, especially when institutions refuse to face up to the changing role of museums and the expectations of its visitors in the 21st century. Our aim is to help people look beyond the confines of the colonial museum model and to consider whether UK institutions that perpetuate the glorification of these legacies are still appropriate in a global, multi-racial world.
We’re always interested in your opinion and feedback. After you’ve read an article, let us know what you think by adding your comments. And please sign up to receive our free email alerts about new articles we think you’ll find of interest. We don’t send them too often and it won’t cost you anything.
Lewis McNaught
The Editor
Lewis McNaught has spent his entire professional life studying, dealing, collecting or writing about works of art. With a degree in History of Art and Archaeology from Bristol University, he spent the next five years in the Department of Egyptian Antiquities at the British Museum, where he developed a special interest in ancient and modern sculpture. The following three years were spent in New York, running an art consultancy company, before returning to the UK to spend the next eighteen years in the City where he become a Director of Gartmore Investment Management Ltd. He returned full-time to the world of fine art in 2007 as Director of Mall Galleries (home of the Federation of British Artists), London SW1, until establishing Returningheritage.com in 2019. Lewis has written articles for magazines, newspapers and journals, has appeared on television and radio and provides research material for documentaries covering restitution issues.
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