Over 1,000 objects in the Met's collection are linked to alleged looters; Report

A new report revealed that the famous Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York comprises more than 1,000 objects in its collection which have alleged links to traffickers and looters from around the world.  According to a new report released by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, around 1,109, such antique pieces from different parts of the world now sit gracefully at the largest and most visited museum in the United States. The report revealed that these pieces at the Met Museum have been previously owned by individuals who have been indicted or convicted of crimes such as looting and trafficking. 

Another unfortunate fact is that, of those objects, fewer than half have records available that detail how they came from the country of origin. Not only this, according to ICIJ, more than 250 antiques in the list have links with Nepal and India. The two regions have been the major victims of artefact looting in the past. As per the report, many of the previous owners have been implicated in looting or trafficking the antiquates. The body stated more than two dozen pieces belonged to American antique dealer Robert E. Hecht. Hecht is known to traffic illicit artefacts from around the world. 

Met Museum’s ties with Robert E Hecht

The American Museum first started to acquire objects from the infamous antique dealer in the 1950s. The American museum continued to have relations with Hecht even after he was charged by Italian prosecutors with smuggling in 1959 and 1961. However, the case against the antique collector was soon dismissed since the statute of limitation expired. In 2012, Hecht passed away, however, throughout his life, he vehemently denied his role in illegally exporting art. 

The Metropolitan Museum did not stop there, the investigative report also revealed that the museum acquired 800 objects that once belonged to Jonathan P. Rosen. Rosen was the business partner of Hecht and was charged alongside him in 1997. While The Cleveland Museum of Art agreed to return objects acquired from Rosen in 2008, however, the Metropolitan Museum is yet to take accountability over the issue. The situation becomes worse since 85 pieces in Met’s collection are connected to Subhash Kapoor who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in India last year over trafficking charges, ICIJ reported.