Cleveland Museum of Art to Repatriate Ancient Statue to Libya
The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) has agreed to return a 2,200-year-old statue from Ancient Egypt’s Ptolemaic Dynasty to Libya. The statue, a black basalt figure dating from 200BCE-100BCE, was acquired by the CMA in 1991 and is suspected to have been looted after World War II. The agreement allows the statue to remain on view in Cleveland as a loan for a few years, with future collaborative scholarship and an updated label citing Libya as the rightful owner.
The object was originally from the Ptolemais Museum in Libya and was likely taken during British occupation in 1941. The CMA determined that the statue was acquired by collectors in 1966 and was not published again until 1991. This agreement reflects the museum’s bespoke approach to repatriation issues, emphasizing the unique circumstances of each artwork.
This is not the first time the CMA has returned artifacts to their countries of origin. In 2015, the museum returned a stone carving to Cambodia, and in 2017, a Roman-Era head to Italy. Despite these efforts, the museum is currently challenging a restitution order from the Manhattan District Attorney regarding an ancient bronze statue believed to depict Marcus Aurelius.
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Elara Voss, graduated from the Royal College of Art in London with a Master’s in Fine Art. She specializes in contemporary sculpture and installation art, exploring themes of nature and human interaction. Elara’s works have been featured in several group exhibitions across Europe, and she is currently working on her first solo show.