Italy has the legal right to confiscate a life-size bronze statue from the J. Paul Getty Villa Museum in Los Angeles, California, the European Court of Human Rights ruled on Thursday. The statue, dating back to the second or third centuries B.C., has been at the Getty Museum for nearly half a century.
The decision follows a lengthy legal battle initiated by Italy, which claims the statue was illegally removed from its territory. The Getty Museum appealed to the European Court of Human Rights after a 2018 Italian court decree ordered the statue’s confiscation and return to Italy.
The bronze statue, known as the “Athlete of Fano” in Italy and referred to by the Getty Museum as the “Getty Bronze” or “Victorious Youth,” was discovered by fishermen in the Adriatic Sea in 1964. Italian authorities argue that the statue was stolen and smuggled out of the country before being sold to the Getty Museum for approximately $4 million in 1978. The statue is attributed to the sculptor Lysippos and is considered a significant example of ancient Greek art from the Classical era.
The Getty Museum disputes the ruling, asserting in a statement, “We believe that Getty’s nearly 50-year public possession of an artwork that was neither created by an Italian artist nor found within the Italian territory is appropriate, ethical, and consistent with American and international law.”
Italy has been actively pursuing the recovery of cultural artifacts it claims were illegally excavated or stolen and subsequently sold on the black market. In 2007, the Getty Museum returned 40 artifacts of dubious provenance to Italy, although it retained the Victorious Youth, arguing it was found in international waters and not necessarily an Italian artifact.
Italy’s Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, welcomed the European court’s decision. “The European Court of Strasbourg has recognized the rights of the Italian State with an unequivocal ruling,” he said. “We will continue our action with renewed determination to have her back in Italy soon.”
In response to institutions that do not comply with Italian judicial orders regarding the repatriation of cultural goods, the Ministry of Culture has stated it will cease collaborative relationships. The ministry also indicated it would now focus on recovering other contested pieces, such as artifacts from the Louvre Museum and the Doryphoros of Stabia from the Minneapolis Museum.
“This is not just a victory for the Italian government. It’s a victory for culture,” said Maurizio Fiorilli, an attorney representing the Italian government, after the court ruling.