Risk Factors Leading to Destruction: Varied Phenomena That Have Inspired the Destruction of Art and Artifacts

The aim of this thesis is to identify and analyze underexplored risk factors that, in the past and present, have led to the damaging, and in some cases, the destruction of artifacts or works of art. The intentional destruction of art and relics has occurred throughout history for various reasons, and by analyzing specific examples in connection with particular risk factors, museums and galleries can further understand how to protect the objects within their collections from potential future damages. Within this thesis, I will address three risk factors through an analysis of case studies in which one risk factor served as a major cause that is closely related to an artifact or work’s destruction. The significance of this study is that it begins the identification of rarely explored risk factors that have culminated in the destruction of important historic artifacts. As this study has taken the first steps in a larger field of risk factors, future research is needed to fully identify the many risk factors that exist.