The lost art of negotiation
Re “The Getty’s side,” Opinion, Nov. 28
With the current impasse in the Getty’s negotiations with the Italian cultural ministry, it is possible to view Italian claims in a new light. Until recently, one could not help but praise the restitution of certain antiquities to Italy as a disincentive to the tragic practices of those who dig up and traffic them.
But the recent insistence of the Italians to make negotiations with the Getty contingent on the return of the so-called Getty Bronze, a work apparently pulled out of the sea by unsuspecting fisherman in international waters, casts doubt on Italian goodwill.
Indeed, the current Italian tactics represent something more like opportunism than the genuine sentiments of a concerned party.
Both sides can now find irony in the fact that the Getty Bronze is actually Greek and sank while being borne to Italy as the spoils of Roman power.
CHRISTIAN K. KLEINBUB
Columbus, Ohio
The writer is an assistant professor of Italian Renaissance art at Ohio State University.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
