Jul 30, 2021

Australia to return 14 artworks of disputed provenance to India

The National Gallery of Australia is to return 14 works of art to India that are suspected of having been stolen, looted or exported illegally. All but one of the works are connected to Subhash Kapoor, a former New York art dealer and alleged trafficker. Kapoor, who is awaiting trial in India, denies all charges. Some of the disputed pieces date back to the 12th Century, when the Chola dynasty presided over a flourishing of Hindu art in Tamil Nadu.The Canberra gallery has already returned several other works it acquired via Kapoor, including a bronze statue of the Hindu god Shiva it bought for $5m in 2008.Mr Mitzevich told the AFP news agency that the works would be returned to the Indian government within months. The National Gallery said it had introduced a new framework for assessing provenance that considered "Both the legal and ethical aspects of a work of art's history".

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