Archaeologist Oscar Muscarella reviews Rogues’ Gallery: The Secret History of the Moguls and the Money That Made the Metropolitan Museum by Michael Gross in Scoop. As we have come to expect from the outspoken critic of the illicit antiquities trade and the plunder of artifacts, the review is filled with details and stories only a true insider could tell.
Dr. Muscarella is the author of The Lie Became Great: The Forgery of Near Eastern Cultures and recently, The Veracity of “Scientific” Testing by Conservators.
After 45 years, Dr. Muscarella recently retired from the Met. He will continue to conduct SAFE Tours. Look out for upcoming schedule on the SAFE web site.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Oscar Muscarella on "Rogues Gallery"
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2 comments:
He certainly pulls no punches ! A slow-starter, but really frightening reading.
Although he makes assumptions that are not correct (to cite but one instance, that Tom Hoving “vetted” my book, an untruth originally retailed to the museum’s board by one of its administrators in an attempt to diminish the book), I am glad Oscar Muscarella was able and willing to put his two cents into the debate over Rogues’ Gallery, and put on the record some of the things he told me which I decided—for a variety of far-from-nefarious reasons--to leave out. He is far more courageous than most in his (your) world, which seems to be dominated by, to be kind, a cadre of craven if expert bootlickers, and I admire him very much. (I sent Oscar’s commentary to half a dozen prominent art bloggers, none of whom had the stones to link to it.) Should you be interested, my brief comment on Oscar’s review—containing a thus-far-unanswered challenge to the current museum administration--can be found at http://www.mgross.com/gripebox/wheres-your-beef/. I also hope you'll read the book as you will likely find it is not the Valentine that Oscar makes it out to be.
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