The European Court of Human Rights has found that Italy’s claims to a contested Greek statue are legitimate. But the museum says its continued posse

Court Says Italy Is Rightful Owner of Bronze Held by Getty Museum

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2024-05-04 12:30:01

The European Court of Human Rights has found that Italy’s claims to a contested Greek statue are legitimate. But the museum says its continued possession is appropriate and lawful.

The European Court of Human Rights on Thursday upheld Italy’s right to confiscate a contested ancient Greek statue on display in the J. Paul Getty Museum in California. It ruled that in trying to recover the artifact, the Italian authorities had “acted with the purpose of recovering an unlawfully exported piece of cultural heritage.”

The ruling rejected the appeal of the J. Paul Getty Trust, which had asked the European Court of Human Rights to weigh in on the case after Italy’s highest court in 2018 ruled that the Getty had to return the statue to Italy.

In a statement on Thursday, the Getty said it believed its “nearly 50-year possession” of the bronze was “appropriate, ethical and consistent with American and international law” and that if necessary, it would “continue to defend its possession of the statue in all relevant courts.”

The Getty identifies the life-size bronze sculpture, which dates between the second or third century B.C., as a “Victorious Youth.” But in Italy, it is known as the “Athlete of Fano,” for the small seaside town on the Adriatic off whose waters Italian fishermen discovered the statue in 1964.