The Polite Art of Lending Loot

Sarah Jilani | ArtReview | 9th March 2026

The state of play in the debate over restitution. Younger audiences and major sponsors are “less willing to associate with institutions that warehouse colonial loot.” As these pressures build, a common response is the long-term loan, an administrative “holding pattern” that involves neither an “ethical concession” nor a change in ownership. Claims of “universal custodianship” may ultimately fail to sidestep the crucial issue – how to balance the claims of originating communities with the interests of western viewers.