"For the Germans, each new exhibition is a painful reminder of the artistic and cultural heritage that was lost"
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What a nerve!!! given that most of these works of art were stolen by Germans to begin with.
This is an international problem, one that is fraught with politics and museum endowments and clever manipulators of stolen work, etc. The time has come when all "art" (and the definition has to be acceptable to all) should be returned to the descendants of those who created the art -or places where it was found and in many cases stolen, for example the Parthonon Marbles which are now housed in London.
I disagree. Many antiquities were found because of anthropological interest by the collectors that was not shared by the "descendants" of that art's creators. The material might otherwise have remained unfound, or perhaps been destroyed by other activities. Some works have been restored and/or preserved for hundreds of years that otherwise would have been lost forever due to neglect, war, vandalism, etc. Should the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco return to "China" (which one?) works that it has held safely for generations (and displayed for the edification of all) when during that time the Communist dictators of China have deliberately destroyed countless priceless artifacts in the name of "Cultural Revolution"? I think not!
Fine. Give the Robert E. Lee family their beautiful house back.