Should the bust of Nefertiti be returned to Egypt?
One of Berlin's most iconic exhibits is the striking bust of the Queen Nefertiti, exhibited in the New Museum on the Museum Island. It is regarded as a global symbol of the beauty, power and craftsmanship of ancient Egypt. Today, it is a central part of the debate about colonial looted art and Repatriation of cultural assets.
Its estimated value? A breathtaking 400 million euros.
But behind this celebrated artifact lies a longstanding controversy. The bust was pocketed by a team of German archaeologists in 1912 and, like many objects from the Colonial period it was quickly taken out of the country and transported to Berlin, where it can still be found today.
The call for repatriation
The former Egyptian Minister of Antiquities, Zahi Hawass, reignited the debate in September 2024 by launching a petition demanding the return of the bust. He argues that the artifact illegally taken out of the country and must return to its rightful place.
The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, responsible for the Berlin museum collections, insists that the bust was acquired legally. But is this claim really tenable?
The legality of the acquisition put to the test
In the early 1910s, Egypt was under British colonial rule and had hardly any resources for its own excavations. German archaeologists, financed by the businessman James Simon, were therefore given permission to excavate artifacts. The agreement at the time provided for a 50:50 division of the approximately 10,000 finds. This was common practice before the rules changed in 1922 after the excavation of Tutankhamun's tomb changed fundamentally.
Germany claims that an Egyptian representative fairly selected half of the finds, including the Nefertiti bust. Cairo, on the other hand, argues that the German Egyptologist Ludwig Borchardt deliberately concealed the meaning of the bust in order to smuggle it out of Egypt. The bust initially remained in Simon's private collection for a decade before going on public display in Berlin in 1924.
A century of restitution claims
Egypt's repatriation efforts are not new:
- First official request 1920
- Rejection by Hitler in 1933
- Petition by King Faruq after the Second World War
- renewed demand by Zahi Hawass in 2011
- Renewed petition 2024
Restitution has been denied for over a hundred years, a pattern that has been repeated in Europe in the face of many demands for Repatriation of colonial cultural assets shows.
Germany's resistance to repatriation
The German government refers to the fragility of the bust, possible precedents and the lack of a legal basis. The foundation's official stance remains:
„There are currently no negotiations with Egypt on the return of the statue.“
Cultural ambassador - or colonial hostage?
Some argue that the bust acts as a „cultural ambassador“ for Egypt. The Egyptian archaeologist Monica Hanna however, clearly contradicts this:
„If an ambassador is only sent in one direction, she is a hostage.“
In addition to ticket sales, the bust generates considerable income. Replicas are sold in the museum store for 48 euros. A Berlin newspaper even used her image to advertise Berlin as a „migration-friendly city“.
What do you think?
If Berlin should Bust of Nefertiti to Egypt to return its Colonial past to recognize it? Or should the city continue to hold on to the artifact?
Discuss this question with us in the Tour übers Humboldt Forum.
Sources:
https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/auf-beutezug-in-aegypten-100.html