The Metropolitan Museum of Art Returns Objects to the Republic of Italy

(New York, July 8, 2026)—As part of its ongoing commitment to responsible collection stewardship, The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today the return of objects to the Republic of Italy: a Bronze relief from the late 6th century BCE; a marble fish plate, ca. 400 BCE; two marble dishes from the 4th century BCE; a Terracotta psykter-column-krater; and a group of small bronze fibulae and bracelets, from the 9th-6th century BCE.

The repatriation follows new information that emerged through the ongoing investigations of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, and the Museum’s own research, which helped determine the works should be returned to Italy.

Earlier this year, The Met and Italy reaffirmed a longstanding partnership that includes major loans, scholarly collaboration, and the shared stewardship of cultural heritage. At the time of the announcement, Max Hollein, The Met’s Director and CEO, and Alessandro Giuli, Italy’s Minister of Culture, met in New York to discuss continued collaborations between The Met and Italian institutions.

The meeting coincided with the opening of The Met’s blockbuster exhibition Raphael: Sublime Poetry, which welcomed more than 562,000 visitors during its three-month run – making it The Met’s most highly attended show since 2018. Italian institutions, scholarship, and loans played a central role in the show.

The meeting also included discussion of the major forthcoming exhibition Across Wine-Dark Seas (opening December 2026), which will feature 31 loans from eight museums across Italy, with 16 Italian scholars having contributed to the exhibition catalogue.

Max Hollein, The Met’s Director and CEO, said, “The Met is honored to enjoy such a long and fruitful partnership with Italy. We are committed to sharing the richness of Italy’s artistic heritage here in New York for our over 6.3 million yearly visitors, and throughout Italy and the world. We are also dedicated to the responsible collecting of art, and grateful for our constructive engagement with the authorities and experts whose work helped clarify the histories of these objects. The Met remains dedicated to working collaboratively to support scholarship, cultural exchange, and the shared appreciation of Italy’s rich artistic heritage.”

Alessandro Giuli, Italian Minister of Culture, said: “I would like to thank the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the U.S. authorities for this restitution, which confirms the value of cooperation between Italy and the United States in the protection of cultural heritage and in fighting the illicit trafficking of artworks. I am deeply thankful to the U.S. investigative authorities and to the Italian Carabinieri of the Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage. Every work of art returned to Italy represents a fragment of our memory restored to study and public enjoyment. This collaboration shows how essential it is to combine research, institutional responsibility, and international cooperation to protect cultural heritage as a universal good.”

Lucian Simmons, The Met’s Head of Provenance, stated, “Provenance research is an ongoing process of dialogue and cooperation. The return of these works and our continued collaboration with colleagues in Italy reflects our shared commitment to addressing complex collecting histories.

Provenance Research at The Met
Every one of the more than 1.5 million objects in The Met collection has a unique history, purpose, and context. Part of the Museum’s mission is to research and present the provenance of every object, enabling The Met to continuously expand and diversify the narratives presented in the galleries and on the website.

The Met’s provenance team—the largest dedicated team of provenance researchers of any museum in the world—works with The Met’s curators, conservators, and scientists, as well as internal and external partners, in conducting a systematic review of the provenance of the Museum’s holdings and ensuring that all objects entering the collection meet The Met’s strict collecting policies. The Met has long been a leader in the field, providing provenance information on most of our collection, with hundreds of thousands of objects available online. In recent years, these efforts have expanded the provenance of nearly 2,500 objects.

In cases where The Met learns—through its own research or from external sources—that a work should be returned to its country of origin, the Museum has a long and well-documented history of transferring works to their rightful owners. Further information on The Met’s collecting practices and activities is available online.

Cultural Heritage at The Met
One of the most critical areas of focus for The Met’s provenance research efforts is ancient art, archaeological materials, and other cultural property, including works of art from once-colonized areas. As part of its commitment to the shared stewardship of cultural heritage, The Met collaborates with countries around the world to exchange information, museological resources, collection care, object loans, and more. This collective understanding is deepened further through convenings with international experts, interpretive framing within gallery displays, and the global accessibility of research and object histories via metmuseum.org.

About The Met
The Met is currently ushering the Museum into the future by renovating one-quarter of its two-million-square-foot building on Fifth Avenue galleries. These reimagined spaces will tell new stories through the breadth of the collection, while improving visitor experience, infrastructure, and sustainability. This remarkable $1.5 billion capital campaign includes: the acclaimed Michael C. Rockefeller Wing for the arts of Africa, Oceania and the Ancient Americas (opened summer 2025); the new Condé M. Nast Galleries (opened May 10, 2026, with the inaugural exhibition Costume Art); new galleries for the Arts of Ancient West Asia and Ancient Cyprus (opening 2027); reimagined spaces for dining and retail inside a newly reactivated entrance off The Met's plaza (opening 2027); and the transformative Tang Wing for Modern and Contemporary Art (opening 2030). Learn more here.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded in 1870 by a group of American citizens—businessmen and financiers as well as leading artists and thinkers of the day—who wanted to create a museum to bring art and art education to the American people. Today, The Met displays tens of thousands of objects covering 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in two iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online. Since its founding, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum’s galleries and through its exhibitions and events, revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures.

###

July 8, 2026