The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) on Thursday announced that it would return 14 artworks to India that were stolen or illegally exported. These items include sculptures, photographs, and a scroll worth almost $3 million.
India will receive six bronze sculptures dating back to the 12th century, a painted invitation scroll dated 1835, a brass processional standard dated 1851, and six photographs.
The NGA in Australia's capital Canberra bought most of the items between 2002 and 2010 from 'Art of the Past', a New York gallery run by smuggler Subhash Kapoor. He was arrested in 2011 and is awaiting trial. After his arrest, the United States returned several artefacts to India.
"It's a relief they can be returned to the Indian people, and it's a resolution for the National Gallery to close a very difficult chapter of our history. It's very much a live issue with galleries around the world. And we want to make sure that we can resolve these issues in a timely manner," National Gallery of Australia's director, Nick Mitzevich, told AFP.
Earlier, the NGA had returned several other antiques bought by Kapoor, including a 900-year-old bronze statue of the Hindu God 'Shiva' worth $5 million, that was stolen from a temple in India's Tamil Nadu state. In 2014, Australia's former Prime Minister Tony Abbott handed the Shiva statue to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a visit to Delhi.
According to reports, India's High Commissioner to Australia, Manpreet Vohra, applauded the move as "an extraordinary act of goodwill". He said: "These are outstanding pieces. Their return will be extremely well received by the government and people of India."