Hobby lobby involved in stolen artifacts

That's so upsetting. I'm glad I stopped shopping there a few years back.

Wow!  Really weird.

The Hobby Lobby family are involved with the new Museum of the Bible, opening later this year.

Wikipedia

I believe everyone has a right to fight for their principles whether we agree with them or not. I still shopped at Hobby Lobby even though I didn't agree with them on the Supreme Court lawsuit.

I saw this story on my news feed earlier this evening. I was sick to my stomach. I remember clearly when those artifacts were stolen & how upset I was for the Iraqi-an (sp?) citizens. I would read my art news through the years and always wonder if there were any leads on the theft.

Here is Hobby Lobby buying them all and acting like they did it without knowledge the pieces were stolen! Dear Hobby Lobby if you receive a box that says tiles on it I would be calling Homeland Security, ASAP. There is a process you go through to receive historical art and artifacts. Don't act like you didn't know.

What else in your little museum do you have that you shouldn't have?

I feel sick that I was shopping there to give Hobby Lobby money to steal from innocent people. I will never set foot in that store again. I know I sound like I have a high road going on about this. It is very hard to convey how I feel in words. If anybody remembers the original story it was horrible what happened and how it hurt the country deeply who was trying to recover and heal.

I am very happy and celebrating that Iraq will receive their artifacts back to them. I am terribly sorry I shopped there. I know it might seem silly to some I feel really horrible that I contributed in some way to this theft by giving Hobby Lobby money.



 

Shameless, neocolonialist, arrogant (how they thought they'd get away with this is beyond my comprehension) and hypocritical.

Alternative morals, amirite?

I'm curious too.

Also wondering, were all of the stolen pieces recovered from this particular theft? Or, are there still pieces missing?

What I have read there are still pieces missing. The rumors in the art world is that ISIS has them and are selling them to the highest bidders. If this is the case then the Hobby Lobby president bought the artifacts from ISIS representatives.

Different news sources are stating that he lawyered up and that he had a lawyers on stand by because he knew what he was buying was illegal. He told the investigators that he went to one showing at a home where several of the pieces were haphazardly laid out all over a living room. He is treating this like they are hotel bibles laid out for his viewing pleasure and not artifacts that are thousands of years old. He's trying to play the innocent victim. He is an artifact collector and every collector knows there is a very detailed and legal process for each piece they are buying.

If he wanted to have collections for his museum then he would have went through the Iraqi government to acquire this collection or a legitimate Iraqi art seller that works with Homeland Security and Iraq's security to make sure these precious artifacts are protected.

I have shopped at Hobby Lobby since I was a teenager. I am not a teenager any more. I have met the president of Hobby Lobby a few times. He is not a stupid man that would make a mistake. He's not buying for his own personal collection and a small artifact shipment had some issues. He is buying for a museum. Everyone in the art world is saying he should go to prison and that there is suspicion that he does have more in his personal collection that was stolen property from different cultures and era's. I am pretty sure this is just the beginning of this story and not the end.

I'm currently reading a non fiction book called "Finders Keepers: A Tale of Archaeological Plunder and Obsession" by Craig Childs which is all about the finding/digging up and keeping of ancient things - by scientists and treasure hunters alike. It really delves into ideas about the ethics of taking artifacts of all kinds and who should have them and what should be done with them after they've been found and/or stolen (because returning them is not usually possible or a complete solution, especially for things dug from the ground).

I had no idea, but apparently the world of archaeology is very cut throat, on all sides. He says "In no other field of research have I encountered so many people who wanted the other party dead." It's not specifically about this theft, although looting during wartime in Iraq and nearby almost certainly comes up at some point, but it's a quick read and absolutely fascinating so far. It will really get you thinking - especially the next time you go to a museum and view the plunder of times gone by, which is still happening every single day around the world.

So glad I already hated Hobby Lobby.

I agree with what joblackford wrote. I always joke that if I want to see Ancient Greece or Egypt, I need to go to the British Museum.

I don't condone what Hobby Lobby did. And the irony is that they stole something for a Bible Museum!

This sounds like a great read, I want it!
I can't imagine anyone's unaware artifacts have been looted throughout time and even major museums have been caught up in scandals. I think the British Museum was faulted for displaying Australian pieces about ten years ago ( my memory could be wrong, I need to google). Even the Indiana Jones movies showed looters and collectors. Anyone who stops and thinks realizes the Pantheon statue they're looking at probably didn't dislodge itself and decide to travel abroad.

I don't think what they did was that unique in a historical context, compared to centuries of artifact trade. But what astounds me is they did it in 2015 (2012?), our current times. Communication and ethics have evolved but they ignored that.