Freakonomics Podcast Wraps Up Series on Stolen Art & Antiquities

 Without stolen art and antiquities, Hollywood would lose one of its more powerful excuses for making movies and attracting moviegoers. Isn't "rare and expensive art or antiquities stolen by the Nazis" a default proposition for a movie plot if everything else falls apart. The 2014 film, The Monuments Men with George Clooney and Matt Damon, may represent the apex of such films.

Still, Hollywood has no cause for concern. Stolen art and antiquities that are being repatriated is a thriving business.  

It is the type of topic ideally suited for the "Big Brains" over at the Freakonomics Radio podcast. 

This week, Freakonomics Radio concluded its three-art series on art repatriation, titled "Stealing Art Is Easy. Giving It Back Is Hard."

If you want to get caught up, here are all three episodes, available at freakonomics.com (scripts there, too) and on all podcast providers:

Ep 1: The Case of the $4 Million Gold Coffin
How did a freshly looted Egyptian antiquity end up in the Metropolitan Museum of Art? Why did it take Kim Kardashian to crack the case? And how much of what you see in any museum is stolen?

Ep 2: Is a Museum Just a Trophy Case?
The world’s great museums are full of art and artifacts that were plundered during an era when plunder was the norm. Now there’s a push to return these works to their rightful owners. Sounds simple, right? It’s not.

Ep 3: How to Return Stolen Art
Museums are purging their collections of looted treasures. Can they also get something in return? And what does it mean to be a museum in the 21st century? 

To be clear, Freakonomics Radio treats this topic more like Neil DeGrasse Tyson than Nicolas Cage in the 2004 film, National Treasure.  Questions are asked about who owns looted treasure? What responsibility do museums have? How important are these pieces to the culture to which they belong?

In this episode, you will never hear host Stephen Dubner utter these lines:

"Give me the whip."

"Throw me the idol."

"Throw me the idol. No time to argue. Throw me the idol. I throw you the whip."

 

Photo by Anastasiya Gepp