So does it matter to artists that exploitation of a nations 'rights' are carried out in the name of ART?

The city, situated on the west coast of Turkey, famous for its impressive monumental structures, its sculpture workshops, its important library and school of philosophers, was a flourishing centre of Greek art and culture in the Hellenistic period. The Pergamenian kings ruled over great parts of Asia Minor and exerted considerable power in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

The excavations in Pergamon conducted by the Berlin museums were one of the most successful endeavours ever undertaken in the history of German classical scholarship. The most important find from these digs, the altar reconstructed in the Pergamonmuseum, is now one of the most famous exhibits on the UNESCO World Heritage Site that is the Museum Island Berlin, and is a spell-binding attraction for well over a million visitors each year, both from home and abroad. Now over a surface of approx. 1500 square metres many exhibits, never seen before, from the Collection of Classical Antiquities in Berlin will go on show in the north wing of the Pergamonmuseum. Ancient sculptures, architectural elements, mosaics, tools, musical instruments, votive offerings and technical devices all reveal something of the city's art and culture. In addition, countless drawings, paintings, photographs and archive records will serve to document the fascinating history of the discovery of artefacts and early research activity on the excavation sites. A special section will be dedicated in the show to the impact that Pergamenian art, and the famous Pergamon Altar in particular, had on art and literature at the turn of the last century.