UNESCO launches virtual museum of stolen cultural objects

The museum has been designed by the 2022 Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Francis Kere. Image: courtesy of UNESCO/Kere Architecture.

UNESCO is launching a virtual museum dedicated to digitalising stolen cultural objects this month, according to the Museums Association.

The Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects will be revealed next week in Barcelona at a yearly conference on cultural policies and sustainable development.

UNESCO, the UN body that promotes international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture, first announced the initiative in 2022.

As the first global platform of its kind, it will use 3D modelling and virtual reality techniques to recreate stolen cultural objects selected by UNESCO member states, raising awareness about illicit trafficking.

Users will be able to access the museum’s design, interactive tools and digitised objects on their own devices or via dedicated screens at the conference.

The platform will also offer educational narratives and testimonies from affected communities to raise awareness about illicit artefact trafficking.

The museum will include a room displaying examples of successful restitutions to demonstrate the importance of global cooperation on the issue of looting.