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CNN Live Today

Iraq's Antiquities

Aired May 05, 2003 - 11:56   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Looters may have emptied Iraq's national museum, but ancient treasures from other collections are coming to New York this summer. The Art of the First Cities exhibit looks at antiques from Mesopotamia, the world's oldest civilization and precursor to modern Iraq.
CNN's Maria Hinojosa joins us now from the Metropolitan Museum in New York this morning, with some very old artwork with her as well.

Hi, Maria.

MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Leon.

You know, New York City sees its share of big art exhibits, but let met tell you, the buzz that has been created with this art exhibit, whether you're an academic, an archaeologist, a regular old New Yorker or an American citizen is extraordinary. Here's a chance to see pieces like this one, which, of course, probably many of us were watching television and had a sense that these are exact kinds of pieces that may have been looted out of Baghdad museum. This is a show that really brings it home.

Now one of the other thins that they're focusing on this exhibit to talk about how this is the cradle of much of our civilization. So the idea of writing, the concept of writing, of using this kind of form of writing to actually establish the beginnings of a constant of people communicating with each other, 6,000 years ago. Of course there's a tremendous amount of different emotions for the people coming into this exhibit as they're thinking about the fact that just a few weeks ago, areas like that are being shown here were being bombed by the U.S. military.

Joining me now is Phillipe De Montebello, who is the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Now, Phillipe, you said earlier that this -- you're worried that this might be the bulk of what is left of this part of the world in terms of this kind of artwork, true?

PHILLIPE DE MONTEBELLO, DIR., METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART: Well, what we have in the Art of the First Cities Exhibition, we thought, when it was organized, and it's taken five years to do, was among the most beautiful and significant objects to have been created in ancient Mesopotamia.

Today, in the light of what we know happened at the Iraq museum in Baghdad, I fear that perhaps what we have here is just about the totality of the greatest objects that have survived from ancient Iraq, and I hope to God I'm proved over time wrong.

An extraordinarily heartbreaking, you have said two things that are somewhat controversial, that rewards should be made, and that there should be amnesty. Ten seconds to just tell me. You stick with it.

DE MONTEBELLO: I am amazed at this controversy. How do you give an incentive to save an object, unless to provide some compensation and immunity from seizure. Otherwise, you are going to destroy it or melt it down.

MYERS: Thank you so much. Phillipe De Montebello. The show is called Art of the First Cities. It's here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Back to you, Leon.

HARRIS: Thank you, Maria.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired May 5, 2003 - 11:56   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Looters may have emptied Iraq's national museum, but ancient treasures from other collections are coming to New York this summer. The Art of the First Cities exhibit looks at antiques from Mesopotamia, the world's oldest civilization and precursor to modern Iraq.
CNN's Maria Hinojosa joins us now from the Metropolitan Museum in New York this morning, with some very old artwork with her as well.

Hi, Maria.

MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Leon.

You know, New York City sees its share of big art exhibits, but let met tell you, the buzz that has been created with this art exhibit, whether you're an academic, an archaeologist, a regular old New Yorker or an American citizen is extraordinary. Here's a chance to see pieces like this one, which, of course, probably many of us were watching television and had a sense that these are exact kinds of pieces that may have been looted out of Baghdad museum. This is a show that really brings it home.

Now one of the other thins that they're focusing on this exhibit to talk about how this is the cradle of much of our civilization. So the idea of writing, the concept of writing, of using this kind of form of writing to actually establish the beginnings of a constant of people communicating with each other, 6,000 years ago. Of course there's a tremendous amount of different emotions for the people coming into this exhibit as they're thinking about the fact that just a few weeks ago, areas like that are being shown here were being bombed by the U.S. military.

Joining me now is Phillipe De Montebello, who is the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Now, Phillipe, you said earlier that this -- you're worried that this might be the bulk of what is left of this part of the world in terms of this kind of artwork, true?

PHILLIPE DE MONTEBELLO, DIR., METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART: Well, what we have in the Art of the First Cities Exhibition, we thought, when it was organized, and it's taken five years to do, was among the most beautiful and significant objects to have been created in ancient Mesopotamia.

Today, in the light of what we know happened at the Iraq museum in Baghdad, I fear that perhaps what we have here is just about the totality of the greatest objects that have survived from ancient Iraq, and I hope to God I'm proved over time wrong.

An extraordinarily heartbreaking, you have said two things that are somewhat controversial, that rewards should be made, and that there should be amnesty. Ten seconds to just tell me. You stick with it.

DE MONTEBELLO: I am amazed at this controversy. How do you give an incentive to save an object, unless to provide some compensation and immunity from seizure. Otherwise, you are going to destroy it or melt it down.

MYERS: Thank you so much. Phillipe De Montebello. The show is called Art of the First Cities. It's here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Back to you, Leon.

HARRIS: Thank you, Maria.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com