Some people are of the opinion that galleries and exhibition spaces should only focus on indigenous art that depict the local heritage and history, instead of foreign works. While I completely agree that the countries history and culture should be preserved and promoted. In this multicultural and rapidly globalising world I also see the merit of showcasing museum and art pieces from all over the globe.
There is treasure trove of artefacts in each country that depict the history and culture of the land they contain many lessons and wisdom from the countries forefathers and every citizen of that country should be able to have access to these and should be proud to represent that culture. However, the world has changed a lot over the past few hundred years and most countries are now an amalgamation of people from many different cultures and museums and art centers should reflect this multiculturalism in order to promote peaceful co-existance.
Borders in the ancient world were very different from what they are now and if a nation only showcases artefacts from within its borders they might not be able to represent most of their history in their museums for instance the region where the country of Srilanka is there today was for most of its history occupied by kingdoms that were far away in the Indian subcontinent and they would lose out on thousands of years of history if they decide to not showcase pieces discovered in India about their land.
In conclusion, while there is merit to focus on local and regional art and culture but, foreign works should also be showcased as they enlighten people about other cultures.