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The famous Metropolitan Museum of Art in the United States will return 15 sculptures to India after learning that the artefacts were forcibly removed from the country and sold by disgraced dealer Subhash Kapoor.
The 15 statues will be transferred to the Indian government, according to a statement released by the Met on Thursday. The artworks, which are made of terracotta, copper, and stone, come from the first century BCE to the eleventh century CE.
Subhash Kapoor, who is presently incarcerated in India, sold all of the pieces at one time.
The Museum adheres to strict provenance standards for both newly acquired pieces and those that have been in its collection for a while. It is dedicated to the responsible purchase of archaeological art. The Museum is currently investigating the past of artefacts from questionable dealers. The Museum cherishes its relationships with the Indian government very much and is happy that this issue has been resolved, according to a statement from the Met.
A criminal investigation into Subhash Kapoor by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office prompted the museum to contact Homeland Security about its Subhash Kapoor artwork in 2015. The museum is “pleased to be acting on this matter today as a result of the criminal investigation into Subhash Kapoor,” it said.
According to the statement, the museum got updated information from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office about 15 works of art through this cooperative partnership, resulting in a constructive resolution.
Additionally, the museum recently removed three pieces from Turkey from display from its Greek and Roman galleries, two of which were loans, and a third is part of the Met’s collection, it said. This was done in collaboration with the DA office’s criminal investigation into Turkish sites Bubon and Perge.
