SAFE Tours
Oscar Muscarella
Dr. Oscar White Muscarella, received his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania College of Arts and Sciences in 1965. A specialist in the art and archaeology of the ancient Near East, he had been on staff of the Metropolitan Museum of Art since 1964, until his recent retirement.
Among his many scholarly publications are: Ancient Art: The Norbert Schimmel Collection, Bronze & Iron: Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The Catalogue of Ivories from Hasanlu Iran. An outspoken critic of the antiquities trade and the plunder of artifacts, he is also the author of The Lie Became Great: The Forgery of Near Eastern Cultures and recently, The Veracity of “Scientific” Testing by Conservators A prolific author, he has extensive excavation experience in Turkey and Iran. Read Antiquities Whistleblower Oscar White Muscarella, interview with Susan Mazur.
In a book chapter titled "The Fifth Column Within the Archaeological Realm: The Great Divide," Muscarella deplored what he described as complacency among archaeologists so severe it verges on collaboration with looters. Also well worth a read is Muscarella's recent review of Rogues’ Gallery: The Secret History of the Moguls and the Money That Made the Metropolitan Museum, the book by Michael Gross in Scoop.
But as hundreds of attendees to his now-famous SAFE Tours will agree, there's no better way to get the ultimate inside story than from Muscarella in person.
Past tours
Saturday, June 04, 2005, Metropolitan Museum of Art 10:15 AM
Sunday, October 23, 2005, Metropolitan Museum of Art 10:30 AM
Friday, March 17, 2006, Metropolitan Museum of Art 5:30 PM
Friday, May 05, 2006, Metropolitan Museum of Art 5:30 PM
Friday, September 29, 2006, Metropolitan Museum of Art 5:30 PM
Friday, October 26, 2007, Metropolitan Museum of Art 5:30 PM
Friday, March 07, 2008, Metropolitan Museum of Art 5:30 PM
Friday, November 07, 2008, Metropolitan Museum of Art 5:30 PM
Friday, May 08, 2009, Metropolitan Museum of Art 5:30 PM
Friday, October 23, 2009, Metropolitan Museum of Art 6:30 PM
Friday, November 20, 2009, Metropolitan Museum of Art 6:30 PM
Thursday, April 22, 2010, Metropolitan Museum of Art 4:00 PM
