National Gallery of Australia vows to return looted artefacts worth millions

As a gesture of uprightness and integrity, National Gallery of Australia (NGA) will be returning the artworks including sculptures, paintings and photographs which were purchased from dealer Subhash Kapoor but reported to be stolen from India.

This can considered as the largest sum of artefacts to be  repatriated by the gallery so far  because in past NGA has returned some  antiquities to Indian government which were bought from Mr Kapoor who is on trial for running a global smuggling ring for artefacts.The collection includes six sculptures, six photographs, a painted scroll and a processional standard.

According to NGA director Nick Mitzevich, “the gallery believed six of the artworks were likely stolen or illegally removed from India. While the gallery could not establish the provenance of another two items — and did not have any evidence the six photos were stolen — Mr Mitzevich told the ABC they would also be returned to India because the NGA had no faith in Mr Kapoor’s ethics.”

NGA is determined to exercise zero tolerance for any inconsistencies in the provenance of a work of art by way of   strengthening the processes of scrutinisation which is a progrssive step towards building an ethical approach to manage collections.

The NGA has acquired the 22 artefacts worth $10.7 million on 22 from Mr Kapoor’s “Art of the Past” gallery over several years, including a stunning 11th century Chola bronze sculpture.It is only in 2012, after the arrest Mr Kapoor of  it was revealed that sculpture had been stolen  from one of the temple in southern India.

Then-arts minister George Brandis also criticised the NGA’s decision to purchase the sculpture, saying the gallery’s decision to press ahead was “incautious”.

The NGA has removed all three items from display and said they will also be repatriated when the gallery has established where they should be returned to.

Taking responsibility for works that have entered the collection,Mr Mitzevich informed two separate reviews conducted by former High Court Justice Susan Crennan had helped the gallery develop new frameworks which would help ensure it did not purchase stolen artefacts.

There has been a positive transition  in art institutions and museums across the world  in recent years as  the ethical and legal collection of works of art has become a priority, both in terms of reviewing and safeguarding the provenance of the collection.

Cover image by National Gallery of Australia