<figure id="attachment_72636" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-72636" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-72636" src="https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/the-metropolitan-museum.jpg" alt="US Art and Culture" width="1200" height="690" srcset="https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/the-metropolitan-museum.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/the-metropolitan-museum-300x173.jpg 300w, https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/the-metropolitan-museum-1024x589.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/the-metropolitan-museum-768x442.jpg 768w, https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/the-metropolitan-museum-150x86.jpg 150w, https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/the-metropolitan-museum-600x345.jpg 600w, https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/the-metropolitan-museum-696x400.jpg 696w, https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/the-metropolitan-museum-1068x614.jpg 1068w, https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/the-metropolitan-museum-730x420.jpg 730w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-72636" class="wp-caption-text">The Metropolitan Museum of Art</figcaption></figure>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The Metropolitan could have a huge connection to art traffickers. <a href="https://www.icij.org/investigations/hidden-treasures/more-than-1000-artifacts-in-metropolitan-museum-of-art-catalog-linked-to-alleged-looting-and-trafficking-figures/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists</a> studied more than 1,000 artifacts placed in the museum. Journalists think <a href="https://www.thecollector.com/what-are-the-largest-museums-in-the-world/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Metropolitan</a> possesses many looted artifacts. Overall, this data is not new. For several months, the<a href="https://www.thecollector.com/history-metropolitan-museum-of-art/"> Met</a> has been in the spotlight when it comes to stolen artifacts.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2><strong>The Metropolitan Reputation Is Eroding</strong></h2>
<figure id="attachment_65761" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-65761" style="width: 1182px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-65761" src="https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/the-metropolitan-mseum-interior-view-ancient-sculptures.jpg" alt="The Metropolitan" width="1182" height="708" srcset="https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/the-metropolitan-mseum-interior-view-ancient-sculptures.jpg 1182w, https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/the-metropolitan-mseum-interior-view-ancient-sculptures-300x180.jpg 300w, https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/the-metropolitan-mseum-interior-view-ancient-sculptures-1024x613.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/the-metropolitan-mseum-interior-view-ancient-sculptures-768x460.jpg 768w, https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/the-metropolitan-mseum-interior-view-ancient-sculptures-150x90.jpg 150w, https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/the-metropolitan-mseum-interior-view-ancient-sculptures-600x359.jpg 600w, https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/the-metropolitan-mseum-interior-view-ancient-sculptures-696x417.jpg 696w, https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/the-metropolitan-mseum-interior-view-ancient-sculptures-1068x640.jpg 1068w, https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/the-metropolitan-mseum-interior-view-ancient-sculptures-701x420.jpg 701w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1182px) 100vw, 1182px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-65761" class="wp-caption-text">The Metropolitan Museum of Art</figcaption></figure>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div id="tw-container" data-cp="1" data-is-ver="false" data-nnttsvi="1" data-sbsl="ru,uk" data-sm="1" data-ssbp="false" data-sugg-time="500" data-sugg-url="https://clients1.google.com/complete/search" data-uilc="en" data-vil=",af,af-ZA,am,am-ET,ar-EG,ar-AE,ar-KW,ar-QA,ar,ar-IL,ar-JO,ar-LB,ar-PS,az,az-AZ,bg,bg-BG,bn,bn-BD,bn-IN,ca,ca-es,cs,cs-CZ,de,de-DE,de-CH,de-AT,de-LI,en,en-US,en-CA,en-AU,en-NZ,en-GB,en-IN,en-KE,en-TZ,en-NG,en-GH,en-PH,en-ZA,es,es-ES,es-AR,es-UY,es-419,es-BO,es-CL,es-CR,es-CO,es-DO,es-EC,es-GT,es-HN,es-NI,es-PA,es-PE,es-PR,es-PY,es-SV,es-VE,es-MX,es-US,eu,eu-ES,fi,fi-FI,fr,fr-FR,fr-CH,fr-BE,gl,gl-ES,gu,gu-IN,he,he-IL,iw,iw-IL,hu,hu-HU,hy,hy-AM,id,id-ID,is,is-IS,it,it-IT,it-CH,ja,ja-JP,jv,jv-ID,ka,ka-GE,km,km-KH,kn,kn-IN,ko,ko-KR,la,lo,lo-LA,lv,lv-LV,ml,ml-IN,mr,mr-IN,ms,ms-MY,nl,nl-NL,nb,nb-NO,ne,ne-NP,pl,pl-PL,pt,pt-BR,pt-PT,ro,ro-RO,ru,ru-RU,si-LK,sk,sk-SK,sr,sr-RS,su,su-ID,sv,sv-SE,sw,sw-TZ,sw-KE,ta,ta-IN,ta-SG,ta-LK,ta-MY,te,te-IN,tr,tr-TR,ur,ur-PK,ur-IN,yue,yue-HK,yue-Hant-HK,zh-HK,zh,zh-CN,zh-cmn,zh-cmn-CN,zh-Hans,zh-Hans-CN,zh-cmn-Hans,zh-cmn-Hans-CN,cmn-CN,cmn-Hans,cmn-Hans-CN,zh-TW,zh-Hant-TW,cmn-TW,cmn-Hant-TW,zh-cmn-TW,zh-cmn-Hant-TW,zu,zu-ZA">
<div id="tw-images"></div>
<div class="dURPtb">
<p>The museum is one of the largest and<a href="https://www.thecollector.com/art-nouveau-jewelry-things-to-know/"> most famous museums</a> in the world. But lately, the museum has been losing influence in terms of antiquities, and the validity of their provenance. Journalist organization ICIJ has been studying this issue for a long time. The largest number of artifacts comes from Cambodia.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>This research is not at all naive. The question is whether New York&#8217;s <a href="https://www.thecollector.com/us-art-and-culture-sector-breaks-overall-economys-value-record/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">art center</a> really deserves to be one. Also, the question arises of the origin of all the works of a<a href="https://www.thecollector.com/rise-of-the-sasanian-empire/">rt in the museum.</a> Of the 1,109 stolen artifacts, 309 are on display in the museum. There is also an artifact from Nepal that was important to local residents.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<figure id="attachment_63614" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-63614" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-63614" src="https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/metropolitan-museum-of-art.jpg" alt="The Metropolitan" width="1200" height="713" srcset="https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/metropolitan-museum-of-art.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/metropolitan-museum-of-art-300x178.jpg 300w, https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/metropolitan-museum-of-art-1024x608.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/metropolitan-museum-of-art-768x456.jpg 768w, https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/metropolitan-museum-of-art-150x89.jpg 150w, https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/metropolitan-museum-of-art-600x357.jpg 600w, https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/metropolitan-museum-of-art-696x414.jpg 696w, https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/metropolitan-museum-of-art-1068x635.jpg 1068w, https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/metropolitan-museum-of-art-707x420.jpg 707w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-63614" class="wp-caption-text">The Met</figcaption></figure>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="KFFQ0c xKf9F">Among the artifacts is a statue of Shreedhar Vishnu, the <a href="https://www.thecollector.com/gods-health-disease/">Hindu protector god</a>. It comes from the village of Bungmati, Nepal. Pregnant women in pain came for help, so that they would be safe and the child healthy. Suddenly, the tradition stopped. In the early 1980s, thieves removed the 20-inch statue. &#8220;We kept hoping the statue would be restored, but it never was&#8221;, a man named Buddha Ratna Tuladhar. What happened to this statue?</div>
<div></div>
<h2><strong>Lost Statue Identified Through Anonymous FB Profile</strong></h2>
<figure id="attachment_42549" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-42549" style="width: 1400px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-42549" src="https://wp.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/greek-roman-gallery-met-museum.jpg" alt="greek roman gallery met museum" width="1400" height="567" srcset="https://wp.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/greek-roman-gallery-met-museum.jpg 1400w, https://wp.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/greek-roman-gallery-met-museum-300x122.jpg 300w, https://wp.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/greek-roman-gallery-met-museum-1024x415.jpg 1024w, https://wp.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/greek-roman-gallery-met-museum-768x311.jpg 768w, https://wp.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/greek-roman-gallery-met-museum-150x61.jpg 150w, https://wp.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/greek-roman-gallery-met-museum-600x243.jpg 600w, https://wp.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/greek-roman-gallery-met-museum-696x282.jpg 696w, https://wp.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/greek-roman-gallery-met-museum-1392x564.jpg 1392w, https://wp.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/greek-roman-gallery-met-museum-1068x433.jpg 1068w, https://wp.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/greek-roman-gallery-met-museum-1037x420.jpg 1037w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-42549" class="wp-caption-text">Greek and Roman Art Gallery View, via Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York</figcaption></figure>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The statue traveled halfway around the world. It could finally be traced a decade after its theft. A wealthy American patron gifted the statue to <a href="https://www.thecollector.com/colossus-of-rhodes-ancient-wonder/">the renowned Metropolitan Museum of Art</a> in New York City. It remained in the museum for 3 decades, until an anonymous Facebook account called<a href="https://www.facebook.com/lostartsofnepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> the Lost Arts of Nepal</a> identified it. Although the museum removed the statue from its collection, the damage to Nepal&#8217;s citizens has already been done.</p>
<p>The statue was an important part of the religious festival in Nepal. Once the artifacts are stolen, the festivals stop. &#8220;Each stolen statue erodes our culture. Our traditions fade and are eventually forgotten&#8221;, said Roshan Mishra, a volunteer with the Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign. This is not the only example.<a href="https://www.thecollector.com/animals-in-ancient-mesopotamian-art/"> The Metropolitan Museum</a> has a connection with many shady personalities in the art world.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<figure id="attachment_33910" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-33910" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-33910" src="https://wp.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/the-met-museum-facade.jpg" alt="met museum steps" width="1200" height="746" srcset="https://wp.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/the-met-museum-facade.jpg 1200w, https://wp.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/the-met-museum-facade-300x187.jpg 300w, https://wp.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/the-met-museum-facade-1024x637.jpg 1024w, https://wp.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/the-met-museum-facade-768x477.jpg 768w, https://wp.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/the-met-museum-facade-150x93.jpg 150w, https://wp.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/the-met-museum-facade-600x373.jpg 600w, https://wp.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/the-met-museum-facade-696x433.jpg 696w, https://wp.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/the-met-museum-facade-1068x664.jpg 1068w, https://wp.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/the-met-museum-facade-676x420.jpg 676w, https://wp.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/the-met-museum-facade-356x220.jpg 356w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-33910" class="wp-caption-text">The Metropolitan Museum of Art Façade on 5th Avenue photographed by Spencer Platt, 2018, via the New Yorker</figcaption></figure>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>There are 77 or more artifacts connected to Subhash Kapoor. He got a 10 year prison sentence by an Indian court for antiquity trafficking. Also, Jonathan Rosen once possessed around 800 artifacts that are now in the museum&#8217;s collection. He is a part of the Italian antiquity trafficking case from 1997. This is not all, there are many more names. The information has come to light, and now it remains to be seen how <a href="https://www.thecollector.com/carolingian-art-cultural-revival-of-continent/">the Metropolitan</a> will react.</p>


The Metropolitan Accused of Holding More Than 1,000 Antiquities Linked to Looting and Traffickers, a New ICIJ Investigation Shows.

The Metropolitan Artifacts Linked to Looting and Trafficking

brazil precolonial religion spiritual practices

The nature-centered cultures that flourished in Brazil before colonization are reflected in the religious practices, myths, and cosmological perspectives found throughout the territory today. 

What Were Pre-Colonial Brazil’s Religions and Spiritual Practices?

If you know Swan Lake, you’ve probably heard of the Bolshoi Ballet. From tsarist stars to Soviet defectors, discover these famous Russian &amp; Soviet dancers who influenced ballet.

9 Russian & Soviet Artists Who Influenced Ballet

The arrival of European colonizers in the Americas had significant biological and cultural consequences stemming from the interchange of goods, ideas, diseases, crops, and humans themselves.

How Did the Columbian Exchange Change the World?

cuneiform tablet papyrus vellum history of paper

The invention of paper as a medium for writing was a revolutionary breakthrough that altered the course of human culture.

From Tablets to Papyrus: When Was Paper Invented?

historic sites us inspired roman architecture

From domes that echo the Pantheon to arches like Roman triumphs, these ten US landmarks prove Caesar would’ve felt right at home.

10 Historic Sites in the US Inspired by Roman Architecture

As recently as 2023, archeologists discovered more Maya buildings hidden deep in the jungle. How can excavating a simple hill uncover an entire city?

Why Do We Keep Finding Mayan Pyramids?

lev vygotsky revolutionary educational philosophy

Lev Vygotsky's educational philosophy emphasizes social interaction, cultural context, and language as key components of effective, supportive learning environments.

You Searched: the met