About The Met's Collecting Practices

Provenance research is the study of an object’s ownership history. It is central to responsible museum practice. It is vital tool in contextualizing objects in a collection and provides a basis for education, gallery texts and academic study. Provenance research helps museums better understand the history of objects in their care and their movement across borders and over time. It helps museums make informed decisions about acquisitions, interpretation, and, where appropriate, repatriation or restitution.

The Met is a leader in provenance research and has dedicated significant institutional resources to this work, including hiring a head of provenance and creating the largest team of dedicated provenance researchers in the museum field.

The Museum continually researches works across its collections and updates public records as new information becomes available. Provenance research is an ongoing process, and ownership histories may evolve as new evidence emerges.

Provenance research can involve archival study, scientific analysis, consultation with scholars and communities, and collaboration with museums, governments, religious institutions, and law enforcement agencies around the world.

Provenance research has always been part of The Met’s curatorial practice, and the Museum has employed specialist provenance researchers for more than 25 years. The Met launched its Cultural Property Initiative in 2023 to further strengthen the Museum’s established provenance research practices, ethical collecting, and transparency.

The initiative supports:
• Expanded provenance research across the collections
• Greater public access to ownership histories and related scholarship
• Collaboration with international partners and source communities
• Continued review of works with incomplete or evolving histories
• Training and institutional coordination across departments

The initiative reflects the Museum’s view that responsible stewardship requires continual research and openness to new information and perspectives.

When questions arise about an object's ownership history, The Met investigates through research and consultation with relevant experts, institutions, communities, and authorities. The Museum evaluates all available evidence and determines an appropriate course of action based on the facts available. Outcomes may include confirmation of lawful ownership, restitution, repatriation, or other collaborative resolutions.

The Met has a long track record of collaborative resolutions and believes that transparency and dialogue are essential to responsible stewardship.

The Met proactively conducts ongoing provenance research across its collections and does not limit its work to objects that are the subject of claims or external inquiries. Provenance research is an integral part of The Met’s stewardship and will often be inspired by the publication of new academic research or scholastic inquiry by the Met’s staff.

The Museum dedicates significant resources to researching ownership histories, reviewing existing records, and investigating objects whose histories may be incomplete or warrant further study. This work is carried out by curators, provenance researchers, conservators, scientists, archivists, and legal experts, often in collaboration with scholars, source communities, museums, and government authorities around the world.

In 2023, The Met launched its Cultural Property Initiative to further strengthen and coordinate this work across the institution. Through ongoing research and collaboration, the Museum seeks to better understand the histories of the works in its care and to ensure that collection records reflect the most current scholarship and available evidence, and take appropriate action when new findings warrant further review or resolution.

Yes. Provenance research is an ongoing process, and new information can emerge long after a work enters a museum collection. Archives may become accessible, new scholarship may be published, scientific research may provide additional evidence, or information may be shared by governments, museums, source communities, claimants, or other researchers.

The Met reviews new information carefully and updates collection records when appropriate. When research reveals previously unknown facts about an object's history, the Museum evaluates the evidence and works with relevant parties to determine the appropriate course of action.

Yes. The Met is committed to transparency and makes provenance information publicly available through its website. The Museum publishes all available provenance information for objects in its collection through online collection records, which are updated with the results of new research or once information has come to light.

The Museum also shares provenance research and the context that it provides through gallery labels, catalogues, press releases, scholarly publications, and digital interpretation. Recent gallery reinstallations, including the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, incorporate expanded contextual information, new scholarship, and a broader range of perspectives.

Yes. The Met has returned works when research established that restitution was appropriate.

In many cases, these returns have led to continued scholarly exchange, conservation partnerships, loans, and long-term institutional collaborations.

Recent returns include:

• In 2025, following provenance research by Museum scholars, The Met returned the Vessel Stand with Ibex to the Republic of Iraq and subsequently partnered with Iraqi colleagues on a collaborative research project that advanced understanding of early Mesopotamian metalworking.
• In 2025, The Met’s research led to the return of a 10th-century bronze sculpture known as Seated Esoteric Buddhist Female Deity to Indonesia after Museum-led provenance research determined the work rightfully belonged there.
• In 2025, The Met returned The Tenth King of Hell, an 18th-century Korean Buddhist painting, to Sinheungsa Temple following collaborative engagement with representatives of the temple and the Sokcho Committee for the Return of Cultural Heritage.
• In 2023, The Met returned two Khmer sculptures to Thailand, including the sculpture known as Golden Boy and Kneeling Female Figure, following collaborative work with U.S. authorities and Thai officials. The Met went on to sign an MOU with Thailand.
• In 2021, The Met’s research led to the return of two Benin works to Nigeria after Museum research determined they had previously been identified as missing from Nigeria’s National Museum in Lagos. The Museum also helped facilitate the return of a third work from a private collector. This collaboration has led to the signing of an MOU and ongoing partnership with Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments, including work on digitization and collections research.

Restitution generally refers to the return of a work to a legitimate owner, heir, institution, temple, or community. Repatriation often refers to the return of cultural property to a country or community of origin. These terms are sometimes used interchangeably.

Yes. Restitution resolves questions of ownership. In some cases following restitution, parties may choose to lend, donate, or otherwise make the work available for public display. For example, several works restituted by The Met have subsequently been loaned to the Museum and remain on display in the galleries, including a third-millennium BCE standing female figure and a rectangular Bronze age work. In other cases, the work may return permanently to a family, institution, community, or country of origin.

Yes. International collaboration has long been embedded across all aspects of The Met’s work, including questions of provenance. These collaborations with countries and communities are central to how The Met researches, interprets, and presents works of art.

The Museum works with scholars, artists, conservators, archaeologists, cultural leaders, and institutions around the world through exhibitions, conservation projects, research partnerships, publications, loans, educational programs, and gallery interpretation.

Recent examples of international collaboration, across The Met’s work, includes:

• In 2025, The Met conducted a collaborative research initiative with colleagues from the Republic of Iraq, focused on the Vessel Stand with Ibex, revealing the work as an important example of Mesopotamian innovation and craftsmanship. This research reflected a shared commitment to stewardship, scholarship, and cultural heritage, and was followed by the return of the work to Iraq.
• Collaboration with the Shanghai Museum on Recasting the Past: The Art of Chinese Bronzes, 1100–1900, a major co-organized exhibition bringing together more than 200 works from international lenders and institutions across China and beyond.
• Ongoing research partnerships with Peruvian archaeologists, conservators, weavers, artists, and scholars connected to the reinstallation of the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing and the Arts of the Ancient Americas galleries.
• Longstanding partnerships with Korean cultural institutions, including collaborative exhibitions, cultural exchange, and conservation research. In 2026, in partnership with the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, The Met announced a conservation initiative focused on the study and preservation of a 19th-century Korean painting, bringing together conservators and scholars in Korea and the United States.
• A decade-long conservation partnership in India that brought together The Met, the Archaeological Survey of India, and conservators from across India to support the preservation of cultural heritage sites and museum collections, foster professional exchange, and advance conservation practice.
• Collaboration with Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments on collections research and digitization initiatives.

No. The Met does not knowingly hold stolen works in its collection.

The Museum dedicates significant resources to researching the ownership histories of works in its care. Provenance research is an ongoing process, and new information can emerge over time through archival discoveries, scholarly research, collaboration with global colleagues, or information shared by claimants and law enforcement authorities.

When credible evidence establishes that a work was stolen, or otherwise should not remain in the collection, The Met takes appropriate action, which may include restitution or repatriation. The Museum has a longstanding record of working collaboratively with countries, communities, institutions, and claimants to resolve such cases responsibly and transparently.

Restitution and repatriation decisions are informed by provenance researchers, curators, conservators, legal counsel, Museum leadership, and, where appropriate, external stakeholders and authorities.

Each case is evaluated individually based on the available evidence, applicable laws, and the specific circumstances surrounding the object’s entry into the collection.

Yes. The Met works cooperatively with law enforcement agencies in the United States and internationally when appropriate.

Deepening our understanding of the objects in our collection and their histories is central to The Met's mission. Provenance research is an ongoing process, and new information can come from many sources – our own researchers, scholars, governments, communities of origin, other museums, and, at times, law enforcement. Criminal investigations can uncover records, communications, and evidence that would not otherwise be available to a cultural institution like The Met, making relevant authorities an important partner in establishing the fullest possible history of an object.

The Museum has a longstanding record of cooperating with law enforcement, governments, museums, scholars, and source communities to resolve questions about an object’s history responsibly and transparently.

The Met believes museums have a responsibility both to preserve and share humanity’s artistic heritage and to engage thoughtfully with the histories of how collections were formed. As a universal museum, The Met presents art from diverse cultures and historical periods in ways that encourage understanding across time and geography.

The Museum collaborates with institutions, scholars, and communities around the world on exhibitions, conservation projects, scientific research, educational initiatives, loans, and curatorial exchange. These partnerships help expand scholarship, deepen understanding of collections, and broaden public access to art.

The Met is committed to researching works that may have changed hands during the Nazi era (1933–45), a period marked by widespread persecution, forced sales, and looting.

For decades, the Museum has dedicated significant resources to researching the ownership histories of works that circulated in Europe during this period. This work includes provenance research, public disclosure of ownership information, engagement with claimants and heirs, and collaboration with scholars and other experts.

Like many museums, The Met’s understanding of individual works continues to evolve as new archives become accessible and scholarship advances. When claims are substantiated, the Museum seeks fair and just resolutions.

The Met’s approach reflects internationally recognized principles and best practices, grounded in transparency, ongoing research, and ethical stewardship.

Following World War II, many works that had been looted by the Nazis were returned to their rightful owners or heirs. In some cases, those individuals or families later donated the works to museums or sold them on the art market. A small number of works in The Met’s collection entered the Museum through these means.

The Met identifies these works on its website as part of its commitment to provenance research and transparency. Their presence in the collection reflects the fact that ownership claims had been resolved prior to the works entering the Museum and that the rightful owners made the choice to sell or donate them.

Yes. The Met has restituted works and reached settlements when research established that claims were valid.

To date, the Museum has restituted or reached settlements regarding ten such works. Information about these cases is publicly available on The Met’s website as part of the Museum’s commitment to transparency and responsible stewardship.

Yes. The Met publishes provenance information online and continually updates records as new research becomes available.

Yes. In accordance with a New York State law enacted in 2022, the Museum publicly identifies works in its collection that changed hands in Europe between 1933 and 1945 due to involuntary means. The Met has created a dedicated section of its website that provides information about these works and labels in the galleries have been updated to make this information readily accessible to visitors.

Yes. The Met’s approach to Nazi-era provenance research is guided by internationally recognized principles and museum standards.

In 1998, The Met played a leadership role in developing and adopting guidelines governing the identification and resolution of Nazi-era spoliation claims through both the American Alliance of Museums and the Association of Art Museum Directors. These principles are incorporated into the Museum’s Collections Management Policy and continue to inform its work today.

Yes. The Met shares information through its own provenance research resources and contributes to the Nazi-Era Provenance Internet Portal, a central registry that helps researchers, claimants, heirs, and museums identify works with potential Nazi-era provenance issues.

Making this information publicly available supports transparency and ongoing research.

The Met works directly with heirs, claimants, researchers, and outside experts to investigate claims thoroughly and respectfully.

The Museum evaluates each case individually, based on available evidence and evolving scholarship, and seeks fair and just resolutions when claims are substantiated. This work reflects The Met’s commitment to transparency, historical accountability, and ethical stewardship.

Additional information about provenance research, collecting practices, and cultural property at The Met is available through:

• ·The Museum’s online collection records and provenance histories
• ·Exhibition catalogues and scholarly publications
• ·Press releases and public statements related to restitutions and collaborations
• ·The Met’s Provenance Research resources
• ·Gallery and object labels and digital interpretation throughout the Museum

The Met remains committed to sharing information openly and continuing dialogue around the stewardship of cultural heritage.

Yes, subject to extensive review and legal and ethical standards.

The Met follows applicable laws, international conventions, and professional guidelines governing cultural property. The Met evaluates acquisitions through a thorough curatorial, legal, and provenance review processes, including research into ownership history and export documentation where appropriate.

The Museum also recognizes that standards and expectations in the museum field have evolved significantly over time. As a result, The Met continually researches work already in its collections and updates records and interpretations as new scholarship emerges.

All acquisitions undergo curatorial, legal, ethical, and provenance review before entering the collection. This process may include research into ownership history, export documentation, prior publication and exhibition history, consultation with outside experts, prior owners, and review of applicable laws and professional standards.

The Met follows applicable laws, international conventions, and professional guidelines governing cultural property. The Museum does not knowingly acquire stolen, illegally exported, or trafficked cultural property.

The Met follows applicable U.S. laws, international agreements, and professional museum standards governing the acquisition, ownership, movement, and return of works of art.

Depending on the object and circumstances, these may include:

1. Cultural property laws
2. Import and export regulations
3. The 1970 UNESCO Convention framework
4. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)
5. Internationally recognized principles relating to Nazi-era provenance research and restitution.

The Museum also follows professional guidelines established by organizations such as the American Alliance of Museums and the Association of Art Museum Directors. Collecting and restitution decisions are informed by legal requirements, rigorous scholarship, provenance research, and ethical stewardship.

Recent gallery transformations across the Museum reflect evolving scholarship and approaches to interpretation.

The reimagined Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, which reopened in spring 2025, foregrounds collaborative research with international experts, artists, archaeologists, conservators, and Indigenous voices. The galleries feature expanded contextual interpretation, digital resources, and audio guides incorporating perspectives from scholars and practitioners connected to the cultures represented.

The Museum’s installations increasingly emphasize authorship, regional histories, material research, and the ongoing cultural significance of works of art. The Met routinely includes provenance information on labels across our collections, including in the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing as well as in recent displays, such as the Divine Egypt exhibition and the New Perspectives on Ancient West Asia installation in the Great Hall Balcony.

These efforts reflect The Met’s broader commitment to presenting art in ways that are rigorous, transparent, and informed by a plurality of perspectives.

Yes. As part of its commitment to public access and accountability, a full list of works that have been repatriated from the collection is available on The Met’s website.

The Met complies with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), a U.S. federal law that establishes processes for museums and federal agencies to identify and, where appropriate, return certain Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony to federally recognized Tribes.

The Museum works collaboratively with Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities and is committed to carrying out its responsibilities under NAGPRA through ongoing research, consultation, and documentation. In accordance with NAGPRA, The Met publicly identifies and shares information relating to the NAGPRA inventory and continues to review and update records as research progresses.

The Met is dedicated to maintaining open dialogue with Tribal Nations, source community leaders, and community members in order to build respectful partnerships regarding the care, interpretation, and, where appropriate, repatriation of Native American and Indigenous cultural heritage. The Museum views this work as an important part of responsible stewardship, transparency, and engagement with Tribal communities.

In 2022, The Met launched its Native American Arts Initiative to strengthen the Museum’s engagement with Native communities and support its ongoing NAGPRA responsibilities. The initiative includes the development of an advisory committee, dedicated staff support, and a continued focus on building long-term partnerships and community collaboration.

Yes. Consultation with Tribal Nations is a central part of The Met’s work under NAGPRA. The Museum engages directly with Tribal representatives to support research, review collections information, and better understand the cultural significance and histories of objects in its care.

These conversations help inform stewardship, documentation, interpretation, and, where appropriate, repatriation decisions. The Met values these collaborative relationships and the perspectives they bring to the ongoing study and care of the collection.

Yes. Per the NAGPRA process, The Met posts intended repatriations to the public Federal Register.