Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Getty Returning 26 Looted Art Pieces, Keeping 20 Pieces

The ANNOTICO Report

 

Getty Museum announced today that they were returning to Italy 26 antiquities now believed to be looted. But the officials said they were breaking off negotiations over the fate of 20 more.

 

The Getty's conflict with Italy stands in stark contrast with similar talks with museums in New York and Boston, which have agreed to return major antiquities in return for revolving loans of similar art from Italy.

Italian cultural officials have become so frustrated with what they call the Getty's "commercial" approach to negotiations that they were considering a cultural embargo, something that  was now likely to proceed.

 

Included in the 20 Not being returned are the two  Getty's marquee pieces: "The Goddess Aphrodite", and a bronze "Statue of a Victorious Youth".

Continuing revelations in the trial in Rome of the former Getty Curator, Marion True have caused the Italians to revisit  the former proposed agreement of October 5th.

 

The Getty is relying on rather strained reasoning that because the "Victorious Youth" was found in International waters (more than 3 miles from the coast), that they can claim ownership.

 

Also, It is important to keep in mind that The Founding of the City of Rome was a few years before the first Greek colony was established in Sicily in the 8th Century, and that the greatest "flowering" of Greek Culture took place in Magna Graecia, (Greater Greece) which was Southern Italy and Sicily, during a 500 YEAR period,  prior to being conquered by the Romans in 278 BC in defeating Pyrrhus, who thought himself another Alexander.

 

Getty Returning Art Believed Looted

    Los Angeles Times

By Ralph Frammolino and Jason Felch

Times Staff Writers
November 21, 2006

J. Paul Getty Museum officials announced today that they were returning to Italy 26 antiquities now believed to be looted. But the officials said they were breaking off negotiations over the fate of 20 more.

In a letter dated Nov. 20, museum director Michael Brand told Italian Cultural Minister Francesco Rutelli that he was "deeply saddened" the two sides couldn't come to a complete agreement.

He noted that the museum was willing to give back some of its most important pieces and had even offered to transfer full title to Italy of its signature figure of the goddess Aphrodite -- as long as further research into its origins could be jointly investigated.

The letter cites the source of the deadlock as the museum's refusal to return a prized bronze statue of a young Greek athlete, which along with the Aphrodite are considered the Getty's marquee pieces.

"W e! regret that this object stands in the way of an accord, but we are very comfortable with our decision to retain it," Brand wrote, adding that the Italian courts had held the statue was found in international waters.

The Aphrodite and bronze are at the top of a list of 46 objects that Italian cultural officials have been demanding back based on evidence presented in the ongoing criminal trial of former Getty antiquities curator Marion True.

Italian cultural officials couldn't be reached today, but one Italian source familiar with the negotiations said a top cultural official told Getty representatives last week it was "all or nothing."

The source said Italian officials agreed that the talks had collapsed and blamed the Getty for having been "stubborn" and "thin skinned."

The Getty's conflict with Italy stands in stark contrast with similar talks with museums in New York and Boston, which have agreed to return major antiquities in return for revolvi n! g loans of similar art from Italy.

The Times reported last week that Italian cultural officials have become so frustrated with what they call the Getty's "commercial" approach to negotiations that they were considering a cultural embargo, something the Italian source said was now likely to proceed.

ralph.frammolino@latimes.com                jason.felch@latimes.com

 

The Getty Press Release

 

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