Arts and Antiquities Looting
As Russians Steal Ukraine’s Art, They Attack Its Identity, Too
KHERSON, Ukraine — One morning in late October, Russian forces blocked off a street in downtown Kherson and surrounded a graceful old building with dozens of soldiers. Five large trucks pulled up. So did a line of military vehicles, ferrying Russian agents who filed in through several doors. It was a carefully planned, highly organized, […]
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U.K. Tourist Jailed for Taking Artifacts in Iraq Has Conviction Overturned
A British tourist who was imprisoned for stealing ancient artifacts from an archaeological site has had his conviction overturned by an Iraqi court. The tourist, James Fitton, a 66-year-old retired geologist, was initially sentenced to 15 years in prison and had been detained for more than four months. Looting antiquities with weapons or with other […]
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In Rome, a New Museum for Recovered Treasures Before They Return Home
ROME — Last month, Italian officials inaugurated a new museum here whose title sets a lofty agenda: the Museo dell’Arte Salvata, or the Museum of Rescued Art. Rescued art is a broad term, it turns out, and the museum will showcase the myriad ways in which artworks can be salvaged — from thieves, from the […]
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Belgian King Returns Mask to Congo in Landmark Visit
DAKAR, Senegal — The king of Belgium on Wednesday handed over a large wooden mask to the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of thousands of objects taken long ago to the European country from its former colony. King Philippe, on his first visit to the country since assuming the throne in 2013, […]
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Goodwill Sold a Bust for $34.99. It’s an Ancient Roman Relic.
Laura Young was browsing through a Goodwill store in Austin, Texas, in 2018 when she found a bust for sale. It was resting on the floor, under a table, and had a yellow price tag slapped on its cheek: $34.99. She bought it. Turns out, it wasn’t just another heavy stone curio suitable for plunking […]
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A Tricky First Case for the Man Who Wrote the Rules on Nazi Looted Art
Few people have done more to advance the cause of people seeking to recover property lost to the Nazis in World War II than Stuart E. Eizenstat. As a diplomat and lawyer, Mr. Eizenstat, 79, has advised five U.S. administrations, including that of President Biden, on Holocaust issues. He has negotiated with European governments and […]
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New Research Tracks Ancient Artifacts Looted by the Nazis
When the Nazis invaded Greece in 1941, Julius Ringel, a major general in the German army, took an active role in initiating illegal excavations on the island of Crete, where Minoan culture had flourished more than 3,000 years earlier. The land was rich with artifacts from the island’s cultural heritage and Ringel, often aided by […]
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Rubin Museum to Return Nepalese Relics Thought to Have Been Stolen
The Rubin Museum of Art announced on Monday that it would return two sculptures to Nepal after researchers working for the museum concluded that smugglers had stolen the carved wooden artifacts from religious sites. “We are deeply grateful,” Nepal’s acting consul general, Bishnu Prasad Gautam, said in a statement. “The proactive response and thoughtful collaboration […]
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In ‘African Origin’ Show at Met, New Points of Light Across Cultures
Object for object, there isn’t an exhibition in town more beautiful than “The African Origin of Civilization” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Nor is there one more shot through with ethical and political tensions. The gathering of 42 sculptures in one of the Met’s Egyptian galleries unites, for the first time here, pieces from […]
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