(New York, May 19, 2025)—The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today that it is returning three ancient works of art to the Republic of Iraq: A Sumerian vessel made of gypsum alabaster, and two Babylonian ceramic sculptures—a head of a male and a head of a female. The works range in date from the third to second millennium BCE.
The repatriation follows the launch of The Met’s Cultural Property Initiative, which includes undertaking a focused review of works in the collection. The Met initiated the repatriation of a third-millennium BCE Sumerian sculpture to the Republic of Iraq in 2024, after provenance research by Met scholars established that the work rightfully belongs to Iraq.
“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. “The Museum is grateful for our ongoing conversations with Iraq regarding future collaborative endeavors, and we look forward to working together to advance our shared dedication to fostering knowledge and appreciation of Iraqi art and culture.”
The Vessel supported by two rams (ca. 2600–2500 BCE) and the Head of a female (ca. 2000-1600 BCE) were gifted to the Museum in 1989 by the Norbert Schimmel Trust; the Head of a male (ca. 2000-1600 BCE) was purchased by the Museum in 1972. The Head of a male and the Vessel supported by two rams were at one point sold by disgraced London dealer Robin Symes. Both the Head of a male and Head of a female sculptures are thought to be from Isin, an archaeological site in Iraq. While the Vessel supported by two rams is not known to be associated with a particular site in Iraq, it appeared on the Baghdad art market, was purchased by Swiss dealer Nicolas Koutoulakis by 1956 and later acquired by Cecile de Rothschild. Through the Museum’s cooperation with the Manhattan DA’s office, and as a result of its investigation into Robin Symes, the museum recently received new information that made it clear that the works should be repatriated, resulting in a constructive resolution.
About The Met’s Cultural Property Initiative
In spring 2023, The Met announced a suite of initiatives related to cultural property and collecting practices that include undertaking a focused review of works in 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 made significant progress on toward these goals, including the appointment of Lucian Simmons to the role of Head of Provenance and the expansion of provenance research positions from 6 to 11, building on the Museum’s many decades of extensive provenance research and information sharing across numerous areas.
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 a number of key international partnerships. 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.
Other recent agreements include the transfer of ownership of two stone sculptures to the Republic of Yemen, which resulted in a historic custodial agreement stating that The Met will care for and display the stone sculptures until Yemen wishes to have them returned. Following that agreement, 14 ancient sculptures that were voluntarily repatriated to the Republic of Yemen from the Hague family collection located in New Zealand were loaned to The Met by the Republic of Yemen who requested that the objects be held at the Museum, where they will be studied and catalogued, until Yemen requests their return.
In 2024, The Met and the Ministry of Culture of the Government of India signed a Memorandum of Understanding outlining future cooperation on educational initiatives, exhibitions, and exchanges of scholarship and expertise, building on a decades-long partnership that has yielded many important collaborations, most recently the exhibition Tree & Serpent. Early Buddhist Art in India in 2023. The Museum has similar partnerships in place with the Kingdom of Thailand; Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments; the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea; and the Republic of Italy.
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 Museum has also embraced a New York State law passed in August 2022 that requires museums to publicly identify any artworks in their collection that changed hands in Europe during the Nazi era (1933–1945) due to involuntary means, with more than 50 updated object labels now installed.
The Museum has also embraced a New York State law passed in August 2022 that requires museums to publicly identify any artworks in their collection that changed hands in Europe during the Nazi era (1933–1945) due to involuntary means, with more than 50 updated object labels now installed.
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.
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May 19, 2025
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Returns Sculptures to the Republic of Iraq
The return follows the launch of The Met’s Cultural Property Initiative, which includes a focused review of works in the collection and the hiring of a Head of Provenance and additional dedicated provenance researchers
The Met also recently initiated the repatriation of a third-millennium BCE Sumerian sculpture to the Republic of Iraq, after provenance research by Met scholars established that the work rightfully belongs to Iraq.
Contact:
Communications@metmuseum.org