[che_shirecat]

It's interesting how whataboutism is called out in every thread about China but its somehow okay when the topic of interest is the Brits/French. Your two examples don't even hold water, the first one is a temporary exhibition of donated artwork, the second is filled with replicas or illustratory material, not original works. You even say yourself that you can't easily find too many others, while the examples you've found are like apples to oranges compared to the art unabashedly displayed in european museums that were looted from their places of origin in very near history.

[dnomad]

The mental gymnastics at work here are to be expected. There's really a total lack of integrity when it comes to Europeans admitting the extraordinary crimes of the past and providing redress. This is why absolutely nobody takes seriously the empty words about human rights. And note it is not a matter of "ancient history"; it is widely recognized that American soldiers looted art from Iraq and Afghanistan worth millions [1] but there is very rarely investigations and prosecutions for this.

[1] http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-iraq-war-...

[sgift]

> This is why absolutely nobody takes seriously the empty words about human rights.

Yeah, sure, because art taken hundred years ago is somehow comparable to breaking human rights.

[qiqing]

It sounds like you are claiming that no lives were lost during colonization (of Asia, the Americas, Africa, Australia...) or slaves traded. Would you like to clarify your statement?