Portrait of a Thief

“He thought back to the paper he had written for class. What is ours is not ours. Who could determine what counted as theft when museums and countries and civilizations saw the spoils of conquest as rightfully earned?”

Portrait of a Thief addresses Art Colonization and Repatriation through the five main characters’ task of returning stolen artifacts. This quote criticizes society’s imperialist mentality, which the characters feel justifies their thefts.

“China was many things—traffic and mountains and the brush of ink over paper, emperors and innovation and the heavy hand of an authoritarian government—but she would never call it foreign.”

Grace D. Li’s lyrical style is apparent in this quote. Her use of metaphor, rhythm, and syntax evokes nostalgic longing and a sense of timelessness. This description of China utilizes the motif of balance; in this case, that between history and modernity, old and new.

“Irene had never cared for the bronze zodiac heads, but she knew how much Will did. She knew how much it meant to China, to have these pieces. Art and power. They were always one and the same.”

Li adapts the narrative though perspective, as the novel follows five characters. Irene studies geopolitics, power dynamics. Her perception of the colonization of art, therefore, relates to the power dynamics between countries, creator and possessor. Unlike her brother Will, who craves art for its beauty and permanence, she sees it as a form of currency, which explains why some museums refuse to return artifacts.