Tweet
Burbank Leader , CA
Nov 19 2011
Protesters call on Getty to relinquish medieval manuscripts
About 30 protesters on Saturday called on the Getty Museum to return
seven ornate pages from a sacred, medieval-era Armenian book
considered to be a national treasure.
The protesters gathered outside the gates of the museum Saturday
holding signs that read "Shame on Getty" and `Our history is not for
sale" as Armenian church officials attempt to secure the pages, which
they say were illegally obtained by the museum nearly two decades ago.
`It is a piece of culture taken away from us. It is a piece of our
identity. It is a piece of our past,' said Glendale resident Rita
Mahdessian.
The La Crescenta-based Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic
Church of America filed a $105-million lawsuit against the J. Paul
Getty Trust in June 2010 alleging the museum illegally bought seven
pages ripped from the Zeyt'un Gospels, a sacred manuscript that dates
back to 1256 A.D.
Attorneys for the museum had sought to have the lawsuit thrown out,
arguing the deadline to file had passed decades ago under statute of
limitations, but earlier this month, Los Angeles County Superior Court
Judge Abraham Khan denied the motion and ordered four months of
mediation.
In a statement, Getty spokeswoman Julie Jaskol said that while the
museum respects the right to protest, the the demonstration appeared
to run counter to what Khan had asked for.
`It's unfortunate that this demonstration, organized by the lawyer who
is suing the Getty, seems to violate the spirit of the court-ordered
mediation,' Jaskol said in a statement.
The attorney, Vartkes Yeghiayan, said he's willing to mediate, but
prior efforts with the museum have failed in the past, prompting the
legal action. The Armenian Apostolic Church wants the Getty to return
the pages so they can be reunited with the rest of the manuscript
housed in the Armenian capitol of Yerevan.
`These are the orphans. We want them to join the family,' Yeghiayan
said, adding that the plaintiffs may be willing to let the Getty
exhibit the sacred book in the future so long as the church is
considered the official owner of the missing pages, known as Canon
Tables.
The Getty bought the pages in 1994 from a private collection for
$950,000. Prior to the purchase, the museum had the work reviewed. The
church claims the previous owner was the heir of the man who allegedly
stole the pages in 1916 when the Turks expelled Armenians from an area
of the Ottoman Empire now part of Turkey.
Jaskol said the Getty is confident it holds title to the works.
The Zeyt'un Gospels is the earliest signed work of T'oros Roslin, an
accomplished Armenian illuminator and scribe from the 13th century.
According to the lawsuit, people paraded the gospels through the
streets to `to create a divine firewall of protection' during the
Turkish invasion.
The legal battle over the sacred book has become an emotional symbol
for the Armenian community here and abroad, where media has latched
onto the story.
Demonstrators said that through events like the protest on Saturday,
they hoped to generate public interest in the issue stateside.
`If we can get 10 people's attention of what the Getty has been doing,
that's enough,' said Karine Ghapgharan, a protester from Glendale.
While protesters held copies of the colorful manuscripts pasted to
poster boards at the museum's gate, visitors viewed two of the framed
pages featuring pillars, birds, flowers and palm trees in an exhibit
called `In the Beginning was the Word: Medieval Gospel Illumination.'
Several at the exhibit, which runs through Nov. 27, said they were
unaware of the tussle. Some sympathized with the protesters, but
others, including Ruby Rios of Los Angeles, said the pages deserve to
be on display for thousands to see.
`If the museum didn't have this, people couldn't learn about this
other culture," she said.
http://www.burbankleader.com/the818now/tn-818-1119-protesters-call-on-getty-to-relinquish-medieval-manuscripts,0,2080444.story
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Nov 19 2011
Protesters call on Getty to relinquish medieval manuscripts
About 30 protesters on Saturday called on the Getty Museum to return
seven ornate pages from a sacred, medieval-era Armenian book
considered to be a national treasure.
The protesters gathered outside the gates of the museum Saturday
holding signs that read "Shame on Getty" and `Our history is not for
sale" as Armenian church officials attempt to secure the pages, which
they say were illegally obtained by the museum nearly two decades ago.
`It is a piece of culture taken away from us. It is a piece of our
identity. It is a piece of our past,' said Glendale resident Rita
Mahdessian.
The La Crescenta-based Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic
Church of America filed a $105-million lawsuit against the J. Paul
Getty Trust in June 2010 alleging the museum illegally bought seven
pages ripped from the Zeyt'un Gospels, a sacred manuscript that dates
back to 1256 A.D.
Attorneys for the museum had sought to have the lawsuit thrown out,
arguing the deadline to file had passed decades ago under statute of
limitations, but earlier this month, Los Angeles County Superior Court
Judge Abraham Khan denied the motion and ordered four months of
mediation.
In a statement, Getty spokeswoman Julie Jaskol said that while the
museum respects the right to protest, the the demonstration appeared
to run counter to what Khan had asked for.
`It's unfortunate that this demonstration, organized by the lawyer who
is suing the Getty, seems to violate the spirit of the court-ordered
mediation,' Jaskol said in a statement.
The attorney, Vartkes Yeghiayan, said he's willing to mediate, but
prior efforts with the museum have failed in the past, prompting the
legal action. The Armenian Apostolic Church wants the Getty to return
the pages so they can be reunited with the rest of the manuscript
housed in the Armenian capitol of Yerevan.
`These are the orphans. We want them to join the family,' Yeghiayan
said, adding that the plaintiffs may be willing to let the Getty
exhibit the sacred book in the future so long as the church is
considered the official owner of the missing pages, known as Canon
Tables.
The Getty bought the pages in 1994 from a private collection for
$950,000. Prior to the purchase, the museum had the work reviewed. The
church claims the previous owner was the heir of the man who allegedly
stole the pages in 1916 when the Turks expelled Armenians from an area
of the Ottoman Empire now part of Turkey.
Jaskol said the Getty is confident it holds title to the works.
The Zeyt'un Gospels is the earliest signed work of T'oros Roslin, an
accomplished Armenian illuminator and scribe from the 13th century.
According to the lawsuit, people paraded the gospels through the
streets to `to create a divine firewall of protection' during the
Turkish invasion.
The legal battle over the sacred book has become an emotional symbol
for the Armenian community here and abroad, where media has latched
onto the story.
Demonstrators said that through events like the protest on Saturday,
they hoped to generate public interest in the issue stateside.
`If we can get 10 people's attention of what the Getty has been doing,
that's enough,' said Karine Ghapgharan, a protester from Glendale.
While protesters held copies of the colorful manuscripts pasted to
poster boards at the museum's gate, visitors viewed two of the framed
pages featuring pillars, birds, flowers and palm trees in an exhibit
called `In the Beginning was the Word: Medieval Gospel Illumination.'
Several at the exhibit, which runs through Nov. 27, said they were
unaware of the tussle. Some sympathized with the protesters, but
others, including Ruby Rios of Los Angeles, said the pages deserve to
be on display for thousands to see.
`If the museum didn't have this, people couldn't learn about this
other culture," she said.
http://www.burbankleader.com/the818now/tn-818-1119-protesters-call-on-getty-to-relinquish-medieval-manuscripts,0,2080444.story
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress