BUSTED

Antiquities Worth $11m Have Been Seized From the Met

This is the largest single seizure of objects from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

This week, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists reported that in mid-July, officials seized 21 allegedly stolen antiquities worth over $11 million from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. According to ARTnews, this is the largest single seizure of objects from the Met thus far. A marble head of the Greek goddess Athena and two statues depicting the mythical Greek brothers Castor and Pollux, believed to have been produced during the Roman Empire, were seized. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has conspicuously given many items in their collection back to their countries of origin in recent years; it’s been discovered that many of these antiquities were originally illicitly obtained by unsavory dealers and profiteers.