- Monday, February 24, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
AUSTRALIAN authorities are set to return to India 14 artworks, including at least pieces that are believed to have been stolen or illegally exported Down Under, the National Gallery of Australia said on Thursday (29).
According to a report by AFP, the Canberra-based gallery identified the works, including sculptures, photographs and a scroll as either stolen, looted or of unidentified origin.
The collection is made up largely of “religious and cultural artefacts” worth about $2.2 million, including some dating back to the 12th century.
Nick Mitzevich, the director of the gallery, told AFP that the works were set to be returned to the Indian government within some months.
“It’s a relief that they can be returned to the Indian people, and it’s a resolution for the National Gallery to close a very difficult chapter of our history,” he said.
Thirteen of the works are linked to alleged trafficker Subhash Kapoor, a former Manhattan art dealer who was the subject of a massive US federal investigation known as ‘Operation Hidden Idol’, which culminated in the seizure of several historically significant artefacts.
Kapoor, who was arrested in 2011 and awaiting trial, denied all charges.
The Australian gallery has already returned several other works it acquired through Kapoor, including a bronze statue of Hindu god Shiva worth $5 million which was stolen from a Tamil Nadu temple.
Mitzevich said the gallery had introduced guidelines to look into the legal and ethical issues with the works that it holds and was probing three other sculptures from its Asia collection.
“It’s very much a live issue with galleries around the world. And we want to make sure that we can resolve these issues in a timely manner,” he said.
Many of the antiquities Kapoor dealt with are from the 11th and 12th centuries. The US has also returned several artifacts since his arrest.
