The Met initiated the return of the two objects after provenance research led by Met scholars established that the works rightfully belong to the Republic of Yemen.
At the request of the Republic of Yemen, the ancient stone works will remain at The Met on loan and will be prominently displayed as the repatriated heritage of Yemen.
(New York, September 19, 2023)—The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today that it is transferring ownership of two stone sculptures to the Republic of Yemen—a sandstone Standing female figure wearing a strap and a necklace and a marble Rectangular mortar, both dating to the third millennium BCE.
The Museum purchased the statue in 1998; the mortar was a gift in 1999. After provenance research led by Met scholars established that the works were found near Ma’rib in 1984 and rightfully belong to the Republic of Yemen, The Met brought the information to the attention of the Embassy of Yemen in Washington, D.C., and offered to return the works.
Collaborative talks between The Met and Yemen led to the formation of a historic custodial agreement by which The Met will care for and display the ancient stone works until Yemen wishes to have them returned. The agreement is similar to those that Yemen has recently signed with the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., which served as a roadmap for The Met’s agreement, and the V&A in London.
“The Met is honored to collaborate with the Republic of Yemen on this historic agreement,” said Max Hollein, The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and CEO. “These compelling objects offer an important opportunity to present Yemeni culture—in dialogue with our collection of 5,000 years of art history—to The Met’s audiences. I want to thank His Excellency Mohammed Al-Hadhrami, Ambassador of the Republic of Yemen, and Tim Lenderking, U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen, for their steadfast stewardship of Yemeni culture and for building this partnership with The Met. We are grateful to have established such a collegial and sincere commitment to spotlighting these important works and look forward to working with the large Yemeni-American community in New York City to host a celebration of our new collaboration later this fall.”
“On behalf of the people and Government of Yemen, we are delighted that Yemen is reclaiming ownership of its precious and priceless cultural heritage” said Mohammed Al-Hadhrami, the Ambassador of the Republic of Yemen to the United States. “Due to the current situation in Yemen, it is not the appropriate time to return these artifacts back to our homeland. We are pleased to have these objects remain on loan with The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, one of the world's most prominent and prestigious cultural institutions.”
The Met recently announced a suite of initiatives related to cultural property and the Museum’s collecting practices that include undertaking a focused review of works in the collection; hiring 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. More information is available on The Met’s website.
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September 19, 2023
Contact: Ann Bailis
Communications@metmuseum.org
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