The Metropolitan Museum of Art Returns 12 Objects to The Hellenic Republic of Greece

(New York, October 3, 2025)—The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today that it is returning 12 objects to the Hellenic Republic of Greece, including: four pieces of jewelry, two iron machaira (swords), two bronze belt clasps, two terracotta jugs, and two stone axe heads, and one group of silver spirals. The archaeological works range in date from 2700 BCE to 400 BCE. The works range in date from 2700 BCE to 400 BCE. Through the Museum’s cooperation with the Manhattan DA’s office, and as a result of its investigation into Fortuna Fine Arts, the Museum recently received new information that made it clear that the works should be repatriated, resulting in a constructive resolution. The repatriation follows the launch of The Met’s Cultural Property Initiative, which includes undertaking a focused review of works in the collection.

Earlier this year, following collaborative research, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Hellenic Republic of Greece announced the return of a 7th century BCE Bronze Head of a Griffin to Greece, which will be loaned back to The Met for an exhibition in 2026. The Met and Greece have also undertaken a landmark 50-year partnership with the Greek government and the Museum of Cycladic Art, regarding Leonard N. Stern’s Collection of Cycladic art that brought 161 stunning Cycladic artifacts from the Leonard N. Stern Collection—which includes nearly all the major types of Cycladic marble figurines representing the Late Neolithic period to the end of the Early Bronze Age—to The Met for a long display, to be followed by a series of cultural exchanges and opportunities.

“The Met is committed to the responsible collecting of art and the shared stewardship of the world’s cultural heritage and has made significant investments in accelerating the proactive research of our collection,” said Max Hollein, The Met’s Director and CEO. “We are grateful for our ongoing conversations with the Greek government and look forward to continued engagement and opportunities for cultural exchange.”

About The Met’s Cultural Property Initiative
The repatriation undertaken in collaboration with the Hellenic Republic of Greece follows the launch of The Met’s Cultural Property Initiative, announced in 2023, which includes undertaking a focused review of works in the collection. The Met’s suite of initiatives related to cultural property and collecting practices include, in addition to a focused review of the collection, hiring additional provenance researchers to join the many researchers and curators already doing this work at the Museum; further engaging staff and trustees; and using The Met’s platform to support and contribute to public discourse on this topic.

The Museum has since appointed Lucian Simmons to the role of Head of Provenance and the expansion of provenance research positions from 6 to 11. Research into the collection led the Met to recently return two ancient works to the Republic of Türkiye, 14 ancient sculptures to the Republic of Italy—three of which will remain on view at The Met as loans from Italy—and two objects to the Republic of Spain. As part of a commitment to transparency, The Met has launched object webpages for all restituted works of art, specifying that the object has been returned and to what country.

The Met has long engaged with countries around the globe as part of its commitment to the shared stewardship of the world’s cultural heritage and has established key international partnerships, including landmark agreements for collaboration and shared stewardship with the Republics of Greece, Yemen, and India, among others.

Further information on The Met’s collecting practices and activities is available online.

About The Met
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.

###

October 3, 2025