Trafficking in Antiquities—J. Paul Getty Museum Update

Italian officials have announced that the J. Paul Getty Museum will return three ancient artworks to Italy.^[1] Italian Culture Minister Rocco Buttiglione said he would send an official to Los Angeles to retrieve the works, noting that there are a total of 42 works that Italy wants returned.^[2] In this transaction—which involves a large bowl, an Etruscan candelabra, and an ancient Greek inscription—there is no admission of guilt from the museum.^[3]

An Italian trial is scheduled to continue in November charging the museum’s curator, Marion True, and Paris-based art dealer Emanuel Robert Hecht of knowingly trafficking in antiquities which they knew were stolen.^[4] We have previously discussed this aspect of the case here.

The past couple of weeks have been especially trying for the Getty Museum. Earlier today, the museum announced that Ms. True has resigned her post over a $400,000 loan she received in 1995, with which she purchased a vacation home in the Greek isles.^[5] Citing its own ethics rules, which require employees to report even the appearance of a conflict of interest, the museum stated that it had “determined through its own investigation that Marion True failed to report certain aspects of her Greek house purchase transaction in violation of Getty policy. … In the course of the Getty’s discussions with Ms. True on this matter, she chose voluntarily to retire.”^[6]

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[1] Getty Museum to Return Disputed Art Works to Italy, Reuters, Oct. 3, 2005, available here.
[2] Id.
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
[5] Ralph Frammolino et al., Getty Curator Resigns in Loan Flap, Los Angeles Times, Oct. 3, 2005, available here.
[6] Id.