Looted objects on display in Rijksmuseum exhibition Revolusi

The exhibition Revolution! Indonesia independent which can be seen in the Rijksmuseum as of today, contains objects that were taken without permission from the local population and have still not been returned to their rightful owners. The Rijksmuseum confirms this after reporting from Nu.nl.

The exhibition is about the Indonesian struggle for independence. Some of the objects on display were confiscated by Dutch military intelligence services (Netherlands Forces Intelligence Service) and shipped to the National Archives.

“That varies from pamphlets, posters and friends’ booklets, because they might provide information about the owners who played a role in the revolution,” a spokesperson for the museum told the NOS.

The material on display is “definitely loaded” from a historical point of view, says curator Harm Stevens. “That is also important for us to bring that together. That intelligence work by Dutch services is an historic part of this history.”

no control

The Rijksmuseum has borrowed 130 objects from the National Archives for the exhibition. The museum cannot say exactly how many of these were taken without permission. Many other objects were borrowed from other museums or the museum already owned.

The Rijksmuseum has no control over the documents taken by the intelligence services. “What’s especially important is the information these sources contain,” says curator Stevens. “And that we share that information with each other. The issue of restitution is not for the Rijksmuseum to determine.” However, the museum would like to see the Dutch state together with Indonesia look at the pieces.

It is the government’s policy that looted objects must be returned, which has adopted a recommendation from the Council for Culture. In that advice, however, archival documents were not taken into account.

The National Archives reports that it wants the Minister of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) to rule on any return to the rightful owners with regard to archive documents.

Loaded term

The exhibition in the Rijksmuseum was also in the news before the opening because of the loaded term ‘Bersiap’ that is used. The Committee on Dutch Honorary Debts, which stands up for victims of Dutch colonialism, filed a complaint against the Rijksmuseum and against director Taco Dibbits and curator Stevens. However, the Public Prosecution Service decided not to prosecute because the term ‘Bersiap’ “contains no negative conclusions about Indonesians as a group because of their race”.

The committee filed a complaint because by using the term the museum would be guilty of discrimination and group insult, because the term Bersiap is racist and insulting to Indonesians. ‘Bersiap’ is used to indicate the violent last months of 1945 in Indonesia. The Japanese occupation was over by then and the Dutch troops had not yet arrived.

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