Critically engaging with the museum’s institutional history, as well as with its collection and the contexts in which the artefacts housed in the museum’s holdings were created and acquired constitutes an integral component of the work conducted by the Museum für Asiatische Kunst.
The museum conducts research into the context and conditions in which its collection items were acquired and appropriated, with an explicit emphasis on international collaboration and dialogue, in an effort to facilitate in-depth research into the collection and a sustainable, future-oriented approach to its holdings. Of particular importance here is the collaborative critical appraisal conducted in exchange with the relevant dialogue partners regarding the items’ respective contexts of acquisition or appropriation and their various forms of scientific, (art) historical and cultural significance. Restitutions can also play an essential role in this process.
Conversations about restitution can emerge in a variety of different ways – for example, as a result of the museum’s own research initiatives, via collaborations with partners, or in response to restitution requests filed either by individuals, organisations or national governments. Depending on the details of the specific case, it is sometimes necessary to consult with the government of an artefact’s country of origin in addition to the relevant government agencies in Germany – especially in cases where it is unclear who the appropriate dialogue partners are.
The Museum für Asiatische Kunst is part of the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz. All final decisions pertaining to restitutions fall to the foundation’s Board of Trustees.
The museum considers transparent access to information to be of the utmost importance. On this page, you will be able to find further information about the topics of restitution and repatriation, as well as general research tips and contact information.
The Museum für Asiatische Kunst strives to eliminate any barriers to the public’s access to its collections and any information pertaining to them. Upon request, the Museum für Asiatische Kunst would be happy to provide inventory lists detailing the museum’s holdings. Moreover, part of the museum’s collection is available online:
For general and scientific contact enquiries, as well as enquiries pertaining to the museum’s image archive, please contact: aku[at]smb.spk-berlin.de.
For further information and enquiries about restitution, please contact restitution.em.aku[at]smb.spk-berlin.de.
The Museum für Asiatische Kunst houses a small number of cultural belongings that have human remains worked into them in one way or another. These include ritual items or artefacts of particular cultural significance, the handling of which calls for an exceptional degree of sensitivity and care. For further information about the handling and repatriation of collections that contain human remains, please contact aku[at]smb.spk-berlin.de or restitution.em.aku[at]smb.spk-berlin.de.