Stolen in 1929 by a Canadian anthropologist, the hand-carved pole was on display at the National Museum of Scotland until a delegation pushed for its return.
Repatriation
Met Museum Returns Two Sculptures to Nepal
A carved wooden beam that once adorned the exterior of a temple and an 11th-century stone rendering of the god Vishnu will be returned.
Lindemann Family Returns $20M Worth of Looted Cambodian Artifacts
The 33 antiquities were linked to notorious trafficker Douglas Latchford.
The Sun Is Setting on the British Museum
There’s only one way for the museum to survive the 21st century, and it starts with advancing toward restorative justice.
British Museum Director Resigns Amid Theft Scandal
The reported thefts by one of the museum’s own employees have also fueled new calls for the repatriation of the Benin Bronzes and Parthenon marbles.
Activists Protest at Rubin Museum-Backed Exhibition in Nepal
The protesters said the Rubin Museum is using the Itumbaha exhibition to launder its public image and distract from the potentially looted objects in its collection.
Federally Funded Research on Native Remains Has Stymied Repatriation, Report Says
ProPublica reports that government funds spent on scientific research related to Native remains in US museums “created incentives for institutions to hold on to ancestors.”
Netherlands to Return 478 Looted Objects to Indonesia and Sri Lanka
The trove includes six objects from the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, marking the institution’s first repatriation of colonial objects.
How a Stolen Nepali Statue Found Its Way Home
A long-lost Vajradhara sculpture that resurfaced in a Hong Kong collection highlights scholars’ responsibility to mediate between communities and the art market.
Met Museum Will Hire Team to Investigate Looted Art
Following a number of high-profile art seizures by the Manhattan DA, the museum will bring on new staff to conduct provenance research.
Understanding France’s New Restitution Guidelines
Notably, the highly anticipated report released by President Macron outlines criteria for the repatriation of human remains.
Report Finds Major Provenance Holes in Met Museum’s Native American Art Collection
About 85% of Native Art objects gifted to the museum by Charles and Valerie Diker lack established ownership histories, according to an investigation by ProPublica.