The repatriation of works of art was a hot topic on the LIS 446 – Art Documentation blog this summer and I just came across a great article in the LA Times:
The return of antiquities a blow to Getty
Forty disputed artworks that are hallmarks of the museum’s collection will be returned to Italy in end to a long legal fight.
By Jason Felch and Ralph Frammolino
Special to The TimesAugust 2, 2007
The J. Paul Getty Museum’s agreement Wednesday to return 40 disputed antiquities to Italy brings to a close a cultural and legal fight that has dogged the institution for decades. But it comes at a high price, claiming some of the finest pieces in the Getty’s collection.
After months of impasse, the breakthrough came with a flurry of faxes late Tuesday. Of the 46 pieces Italy had demanded, the museum agreed to send back its signature statue of Aphrodite, 10 other masterpieces and more than two dozen other important vases and sculptures.
The objects are expected to be taken off display in the fall, museum officials said, and returned to Italy by the end of the year. The exception is the Aphrodite statue, which will remain at Getty Villa, the Getty’s recently renovated antiquities museum near Malibu, until December 2010.
Italian Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli, speaking to reporters Wednesday evening at the Parliament, where he was attending to other business, said the deal with the Getty was “an agreement of historic value.”
Getty Museum Director Michael Brand also welcomed the accord, which came after two years of often-rocky negotiations.
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