One hundred years ago, German archeologist Ludwig Borchardt uncovered what would become the iconic bust of Queen Nefertiti, removing it from the Egyptian soil in which it had been interred for over 3,000 years and shipping it to Berlin, where it has since remained, despite disputes as to its rightful owner and Egyptian demands that it be returned.
Germany has consistently denied accusations that Borchardt misled authorities in Egypt about the bust in order to get permission to bring it to Europe. In 2009, Der Spiegel reported on a secret document describing Borchardt’s meeting with Egyptian officials in which a witness to the meeting described “cheating,” claiming that Borchardt lied about the material of the bust, and kept it partially hidden from the examining official. Nonetheless, Germany is celebrating the centennial of Nefertiti’s discovery with ”In the Light of Amarna – 100 Years of the Find of Nefertiti” — an exhibition at Berlin’s Neues Museum dedicated to the bust and the ancient city of Akhetaton, founded by Nefertiti’s husband, Pharaoh Akhenaten.
Bloomberg News reported that at a press conference before the exhibition’s opening, German culture minister Bernd Neumann stated, “The bust is without doubt rightfully in the ownership of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation,” and “There can be no talk of deception,” continuing Germany’s denial that Egypt may in fact be the rightful owner of its own archeological artifacts.
Source: http://blogs.artinfo.com/artintheair/20 ... cusations/