India Is Trying to Stop the Sale of Hundreds of Ancient Gems Associated With the Buddha
The 300 sacred jewels are part of a larger trove found in India in 1898. They’re scheduled to be sold by Sotheby’s Hong Kong, where bidding will start at roughly $1.3 million
The Art Institute of Chicago Is Returning a 12th-Century Buddha Sculpture to Nepal
Museum officials say they are voluntarily repatriating the object after learning that it had been stolen from Guita Bahi in the Kathmandu Valley
The Met Returns Stolen Seventh-Century B.C.E. Bronze Griffin Head to Greece
At a ceremony this week, Greece’s culture minister officially accepted the artifact, which was likely stolen from a museum in Olympia in the 1930s
A Looted Bronze Statue That May Depict Marcus Aurelius Is Returning to Turkey
The repatriation comes after years of legal disputes over the true identity and provenance of the 6-foot-4 artwork, which has been housed at the Cleveland Museum of Art
The Head of the Smithsonian Talks About America’s 250th, Why Experts Still Matter and What to Expect From the Institution in 2025
In an extensive interview, Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III spoke on the current political climate, the process of returning human remains from the Institution’s collections, the awe-inspiring scope of Smithsonian science and much more
An Ancient Statue of a Roman Emperor Will Finally Be Reunited With Its Head
The torso of the bronze sculpture depicting Septimius Severus was repatriated last year, and a Copenhagen museum has now agreed to return the head
German Archaeologists Discovered the Iconic Bust of Nefertiti in an Ancient Egyptian Sculptor’s Studio. Find Out Why Their Discovery Is Now One of Archaeology’s Most Controversial
For over a century, ever since the bust was found on this day in 1912, the world has debated who should rightfully own this work of timeless beauty
A Nazi-Looted Painting Recovered by the Monuments Men During World War II Is Going on Sale
When the war ended, Allied soldiers tracked down Nicolas de Largillierre’s “Portrait de femme à mi-corps” with the help of a savvy French curator who had been working for the resistance
A Prominent Italian Dealer Has Been Charged With Trafficking Thousands of Looted Artifacts
The Manhattan district attorney’s office has obtained an arrest warrant for Edoardo Almagià, who has been accused of working with looters and dealing stolen artifacts for years
How Recovering the History of a Little-Known Lakota Massacre Could Heal Generational Pain
When the U.S. Army massacred a Lakota village at Blue Water, dozens of plundered artifacts ended up in the Smithsonian. The unraveling of this long-buried atrocity is forging a path toward reconciliation
These Iron Age Swords Were Smuggled Out of Iran and Modified to Increase Their Value on the Black Market
Using advanced imaging techniques, researchers discovered modern glue, drill holes and even a fragment of a drill bit in the pastiches
A Rare Monet Painting Has Been Returned to the Family of Its Rightful Owners—Eight Decades After It Was Stolen by the Nazis
The Gestapo seized the Impressionist painting from storage after its owners fled from their home in Vienna. Now, the piece has been returned to their granddaughters
Ancient Statues Recently Returned to Yemen Are Now on Loan at the Met
The long-term loan is the latest agreement Yemen has made with a museum in order to protect its cultural heritage amid ongoing civil war
The Netherlands Has Returned 288 Stolen Artifacts to Indonesia
The Dutch seized the majority of the items in the aftermath of a brutal 1906 conflict that killed an estimated 1,000 Balinese
A Japanese Soldier’s Son Receives a Memento of His Father, Who Was Killed During World War II
The so-called good-luck flag, which hung on an American veteran’s wall for many years, returned home last month after nearly eight decades
Boston Museum Returns Looted 2,700-Year-Old Necklace to Turkey
The gold and carnelian artifact is nearly identical to other jewelry found at an archaeological site in western Turkey
Museum Settles With Heirs of Jewish Couple Who Sold a 16th-Century Painting as They Fled the Nazis
A Pennsylvania museum will auction the portrait—and split the proceeds with the descendants of Henry and Hertha Bromberg
A New Exhibition in Amsterdam Explores the Holocaust Through Looted Objects
“Looted” examines how the Nazis systematically plundered Jewish cultural items during World War II
Nashville Museum Returns Hundreds of Pre-Columbian Artifacts to Mexico
The items also went on display in an exhibition that detailed the repatriation process
This Art Student Stole a Coin From the British Museum—and Dropped It in the Donation Box
Ilê Sartuzi briefly pocketed a 17th-century coin to make a statement about looted artifacts held by the museum
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