The Museum of Confiscated Art, Brest, Belarus.

Yates, D. and London, H. (2023) ‘The Museum of Confiscated Art, Brest, Belarus’, in Lynes, A., Kelly, C. and Treadwell, J. (eds) 50 Dark Destinations: Crime and Contemporary Tourism. Bristol: Bristol University Press, pp. 182–286.

Located in the city of Brest on Belarus’ border with Poland, the Museum of Confiscated Art was opened in 1989 to display ‘works of art and antiquities seized by customs officers during attempts to illegally export them abroad’ (museum.by, nd). Housed in a historic cottage and expanded in 2016, the museum now consists of ten halls filled with over 400 cultural objects, many of which are Russian icon paintings from the 16th to early 20th centuries. The artworks are displayed alongside examples of the technology used by Belarussian customs officials to detect contraband (museum.by, 2016). While the museum serves a local audience, with special tours for school-aged children, families, and availability as a function space, it also draws an international audience. At the time of writing, the museum boasts 4.6 out of 5 stars from over 400 reviews on Google, and 4.5 out of 5 stars from over 50 reviews on Trip Advisor. The museum is featured in such English-language travel sites as Atlas Obscura (n.d) and Lonely Planet (n.d).

While a “Museum of Art” is a relatively mundane title for a familiar and common type of institution, a “Museum of Confiscated Art” is immediately marked as something different. “Confiscated” as a descriptor, alongside other Russian to English translations such as “Saved” or “Rescued”, immediately mark the art in the museum as being illicit in some way. Potential visitors assume, and are likely attracted to, the fact that what is truly on display in is not the art, but rather the circumstances that brought the art to the museum.

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