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E-book
Author Greenland, Fiona, author

Title Ruling culture : art police, tomb robbers, and the rise of cultural power in Italy / Fiona Greenland
Published Chicago ; London : The University of Chicago Press, 2021

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Description 1 online resource (264 p.)
Contents Introduction: the world's greatest cultural power -- Art squad agonistes -- The American price -- Distributing sovereignty : from fascism to the art squad -- Tomb robbers and cultural power from below -- Made in Italy -- Farewell to the tomb robber
Summary "A major, on-the-ground look at antiquities looting in Italy. More looting of ancient art takes place in Italy than in any other country. Ironically, Italy trades on the fact to demonstrate its cultural superiority over other countries. And, more than any other country, Italy takes pains to prevent looting by instituting laws, cultural policies, export taxes, and a famously effective art-crime squad that has been the inspiration of novels, movies, and tv shows. In fact, Italy is widely regarded as having invented the discipline of art policing. In 2006 the then-president of Italy declared his country to be "the world's greatest cultural power." Why do Italians believe this? Why is the patria, or "homeland," so frequently invoked in modern disputes about ancient art, particularly when it comes to matters of repatriation, export, and museum loans? Fiona Greenland's Ruling Culture addresses these questions by tracing the emergence of antiquities as a key source of power in Italy from 1815 to the present. Along the way, it investigates the activities and interactions of three main sets of actors: state officials (including Art Squad agents), archaeologists, and illicit excavators and collectors"-- Provided by publisher
Analysis Italy
antiquities
art market
art police
cultural intimacy
cultural power
looting
nationalism
sociology
Notes Description based upon print version of record
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes Description based on print version record
Subject Classical antiquities thefts -- Italy
Art thefts -- Law and legislation -- Italy
Cultural property -- Protection -- Law and legislation -- Italy
Art thefts -- Law and legislation
Classical antiquities thefts
Cultural property
SUBJECT Italy -- Antiquities. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85068876
Subject Italy
Form Electronic book
ISBN 022675717X
9780226757179