¿A quién pertenece la belleza?

Perhaps beauty belongs to no one. But what about the objects that museums have elevated to the status of great works of art and that are their pride and joy? Do they belong to the place where they originated, to the culture whose genius they embody, to those who appropriated them, or to all of humanity, which only has access to them through institutions dedicated to their preservation? And if it is the latter, how can we justify that only a few can enjoy this universal heritage? Bénédicte Savoy proposes that we begin at the beginning: to follow the concrete trail of these objects, asking ourselves how they came to us and what their journeys reveal about our history. From the bust of Nefertiti to Klimt's portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, by way of the Pergamon Altar, the Sistine Madonna, or the royal treasures of Benin. Who was moved by these confiscations, when, and why? The vicissitudes of these emblematic works intertwine stories of violence, asymmetries, archives, cinema, family memory, scientific curiosity, diplomacy, and international politics. A thrilling and enjoyable read, this powerful essay invites us to participate in one of the great political and cultural debates of our time. If these pieces sparked unexpected aesthetic transformations wherever they appeared, they also reopened wounds that remain raw in the places where they are absent.