Three months after 105 antiquities, which were earlier smuggled, came back to India, the United States is sending another batch of 1,414 objects back to the country, which will include antiquities from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met). 
 
As per the official sources, these objects have already been given to the Consulate General of India in New York. According to the procedure, a team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which has been the custodian of all Indian antiquities, will be sent to the United States to carry out the verification of the objects after which the officials will initiate the repatriation, as reported by The Indian Express.

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The objects will also be authenticated by the ASI as “antiquities” or “non-antiquities”. Although the ASI has not revealed any specific details regarding their age or region, the US authorities stated that 1,414 objects from various sources appeared to be of “Indian provenance”. 
 
A senior official stated that the batch includes a few antiquities which will be from Met. In an earlier report, it was revealed that a treasure trove which belonged to the Met could be traced back to antique dealer Subhash Kapoor, who was imprisoned on charges of smuggling antiquities.

<h2>Met&nbsp;announces return of 15 sculptures in India</h2>

After the revelation, a search warrant was issued by the Supreme Court of the State of New York against the Met on March 22, which gave 10 days to the authorities to seize the antiquities. 
 
On March 30, a statement was issued by the Met in which it claimed that it would “transfer 15 sculptures for return to the Government of India, after having learned that the works were illegally removed from India”. 
 
The government of India in July said that the Met's objects were likely to reach the country in the next three to six months. On July 17, the Indian Consulate in New York was given 105 antiquities by the US authorities, which will be repatriated to India in August this year. However, the objects of Met were not among them.

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ASI officials stated that the new batch of 1,414 objects will most probably have non-antiquities, and they will be accordingly ranked while following the definition of “antiquity”. 
 
In the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, an antiquity has been defined as “any coin, sculpture, painting, epigraph or other work of art or craftsmanship; any article, object or thing detached from a building or cave; any article, object or thing illustrative of science, art, crafts, literature, religion, customs, morals or politics in bygone ages; any article, object or thing of historical interest” that “has been in existence for not less than 100 years”.

(With inputs from agencies)

 
 
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Three months after 105 antiquities, which were earlier smuggled, came back to India, the United States is sending another batch of 1,414 objects back to the country, which will include antiquities from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met).

Three months after 105 antiquities, which were earlier smuggled, came back to India, the United States is sending another batch of 1,414 objects back to the country, which will include antiquities from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met). As per the official sources, these objects have already been given to the Consulate General of India in New York. According to the procedure, a team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which has been the custodian of all Indian antiquities, will be sent to the United States to carry out the verification of the objects after which the officials will initiate the repatriation, as reported by The Indian Express. ALSO READ | Qatar fails to provide copy of court ruling on former eight Indian Navy officers to India The objects will also be authenticated by the ASI as “antiquities” or “non-antiquities”. Although the ASI has not revealed any specific details regarding their age or region, the US authorities stated that 1,414 objects from various sources appeared to be of “Indian provenance”. A senior official stated that the batch includes a few antiquities which will be from Met. In an earlier report, it was revealed that a treasure trove which belonged to the Met could be traced back to antique dealer Subhash Kapoor, who was imprisoned on charges of smuggling antiquities. Met announces return of 15 sculptures in India After the revelation, a search warrant was issued by the Supreme Court of the State of New York against the Met on March 22, which gave 10 days to the authorities to seize the antiquities. On March 30, a statement was issued by the Met in which it claimed that it would “transfer 15 sculptures for return to the Government of India, after having learned that the works were illegally removed from India”. The government of India in July said that the Met's objects were likely to reach the country in the next three to six months. On July 17, the Indian Consulate in New York was given 105 antiquities by the US authorities, which will be repatriated to India in August this year. However, the objects of Met were not among them. Watch | Indian troops in Maldives asked to leave by President-elect ASI officials stated that the new batch of 1,414 objects will most probably have non-antiquities, and they will be accordingly ranked while following the definition of “antiquity”. In the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, an antiquity has been defined as “any coin, sculpture, painting, epigraph or other work of art or craftsmanship; any article, object or thing detached from a building or cave; any article, object or thing illustrative of science, art, crafts, literature, religion, customs, morals or politics in bygone ages; any article, object or thing of historical interest” that “has been in existence for not less than 100 years”. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Met Museum to return antiquities to India as part of 1,414 objects to be sent by US

Cambodia has begun to press the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan to document how it acquired dozens of Khmer Empire antiquities that Cambodian officials, citing new evidence, believe were looted during the country’s decades of war and tumult.

Although Cambodia has pushed the Met and other museums in recent years for the return of individual statues and sculptures it says were pillaged between 1970 and 2000, this effort is far broader. Cambodian officials said they have developed a spreadsheet of 45 “highly significant” items at the Met that the evidence suggests were stolen before being donated or sold to the museum.

Officials with the US&nbsp;Attorney’s Office, which has previously assisted Cambodia in recovering illicit antiquities, met with museum staff members last week to request they review the provenance of a number of the items, Cambodian officials said.

Federal officials declined to comment on any discussion with the museum’s staff, and the Met would not address the specifics of what Cambodian officials are describing as a rigorous new effort to reclaim their cultural heritage.

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The Met said in a statement that it was following its “long and well-documented history of responding to claims regarding works of art, restituting objects where appropriate.”

It suggested it had begun to “proactively” research its collection independent of the Cambodian request.

“Recently, in light of new information on some pieces in our collection, we reached out to the US&nbsp;Attorney’s office — to volunteer that we are happy to cooperate with any inquiry,” the statement said.

The scope of the Cambodian initiative, according to those directing it, is fueled by years of expanded legal investigation and archaeological research and by the disclosures of a former temple looter who admits to organizing the plunder of dozens of Khmer shrines from the 1970s to the 1990s.

That man, whom Cambodian officials refer to only as “Lion,” has spent two years escorting officials to dozens of remote sites where, Cambodians say, he and his gang systematically uprooted and carted away for sale massive stone statuary, intricate bronze sculptures and ceramic burial jars filled with royal gold and jewels. Most of those items, the former looter said, were sold through brokers in Thailand.

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Cambodia’s culture minister, Phoeurng Sackona, said the former looter’s information was critical to identifying the 45 Met items that officials have focused on. They have also inspected the dates of the museum’s acquisitions and physical evidence like chiseled stands and broken remnants found at the original sites. Of the 45 artifacts, she said, “Lion” recognized 33 as items he removed himself and another 11 as matching the appearance of statues stolen by others.

The artifacts were acquired by the Met between 1977 and 2003, according to the research by Cambodian officials.

“It surprises me and disappoints me that there are so many statues of ours in the Met,” the culture minister said, adding: “We want to see the truth come out, we want to see all the facts come out about this. We want them all returned.”

In addition to the 45 items listed on the spreadsheet, Cambodian officials said they had questions about roughly 150 other artifacts in the Met’s collections that left Cambodia between 1970 and 2000, three decades during which the nation was torn apart by war, genocide and political upheaval.

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In July, the U.S. attorney embraced the credibility of “Lion” when prosecutors cited him in court papers connected to the return of a Khmer statue, “Skanda on a Peacock,” which he says he looted. An unidentified private owner voluntarily handed over that artifact, according to a Justice Department news release that identified “Lion” as Looter 1.

In the last decade, the Met and a few American museums have returned other Khmer items based on evidence of looting. In 2013, the Met returned two giant statues known as “Kneeling Attendants” after two of its curators visited a pillaged site called Koh Ker. At the time, the Cambodian government applauded the ethical standards and professionalism of the museum.

As was the case with the “Kneeling Attendants,” six items on Cambodia’s Met list were once owned by Douglas A.J. Latchford, a prolific collector and accused trafficker of Khmer relics who died last year. Latchford’s daughter, who inherited his collection, has agreed to return 125 of his objects to Cambodia because of their tainted past.

Latchford donated several of the items on Cambodia’s list, including a bronze face of a male deity now on display at the Met. “Lion” told Cambodian officials that he dug up the artifact and carried it off in a military backpack in the 1990s from a temple within the Koh Ker complex.

Three other items on Cambodia’s list were either sold or donated to the Met by Doris Wiener, a Manhattan gallery owner and Southeast Asia specialist who died in 2011. “Lion” told Cambodian investigators that one of them, a “Standing Female Deity,” was part of a pair he placed in an ox cart and covered with hay before taking them away for sale in 1997.

Khmer antiquities that arrived in museums, galleries and auction houses during and after the country’s era of upheaval have long been the subject of suspicion. In 1993, the International Council of Museums published a guide to 100 items known to have been looted from the Angkor temple complex. When the Met opened its Arts of South and Southeast Asia galleries in 1994, New York Times critic Holland Cotter wrote, “One is prompted to speculate on exactly how art objects are extracted from their impoverished, often strife-torn homes of origin to land in the lap of a rich American museum.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Cambodia has begun to press the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan to document how it acquired dozens of Khmer Empire antiquities that Cambodian officials, citing new evidence, believe were looted during the country’s decades of war and tumult.

Cambodia has begun to press the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan to document how it acquired dozens of Khmer Empire antiquities that Cambodian officials, citing new evidence, believe were looted during the country’s decades of war and tumult. Although Cambodia has pushed the Met and other museums in recent years for the return of individual statues and sculptures it says were pillaged between 1970 and 2000, this effort is far broader. Cambodian officials said they have developed a spreadsheet of 45 “highly significant” items at the Met that the evidence suggests were stolen before being donated or sold to the museum. Officials with the US Attorney’s Office, which has previously assisted Cambodia in recovering illicit antiquities, met with museum staff members last week to request they review the provenance of a number of the items, Cambodian officials said. Federal officials declined to comment on any discussion with the museum’s staff, and the Met would not address the specifics of what Cambodian officials are describing as a rigorous new effort to reclaim their cultural heritage. Also read: Superman to Captain America: DC, Marvel and their new LGBTQ superheroes The Met said in a statement that it was following its “long and well-documented history of responding to claims regarding works of art, restituting objects where appropriate.” It suggested it had begun to “proactively” research its collection independent of the Cambodian request. “Recently, in light of new information on some pieces in our collection, we reached out to the US Attorney’s office — to volunteer that we are happy to cooperate with any inquiry,” the statement said. The scope of the Cambodian initiative, according to those directing it, is fueled by years of expanded legal investigation and archaeological research and by the disclosures of a former temple looter who admits to organizing the plunder of dozens of Khmer shrines from the 1970s to the 1990s. That man, whom Cambodian officials refer to only as “Lion,” has spent two years escorting officials to dozens of remote sites where, Cambodians say, he and his gang systematically uprooted and carted away for sale massive stone statuary, intricate bronze sculptures and ceramic burial jars filled with royal gold and jewels. Most of those items, the former looter said, were sold through brokers in Thailand. Also read: From 'Squid Game' jumpsuits to Kim Kardashian: Pop culture/meme inspired Halloween costumes Cambodia’s culture minister, Phoeurng Sackona, said the former looter’s information was critical to identifying the 45 Met items that officials have focused on. They have also inspected the dates of the museum’s acquisitions and physical evidence like chiseled stands and broken remnants found at the original sites. Of the 45 artifacts, she said, “Lion” recognized 33 as items he removed himself and another 11 as matching the appearance of statues stolen by others. The artifacts were acquired by the Met between 1977 and 2003, according to the research by Cambodian officials. “It surprises me and disappoints me that there are so many statues of ours in the Met,” the culture minister said, adding: “We want to see the truth come out, we want to see all the facts come out about this. We want them all returned.” In addition to the 45 items listed on the spreadsheet, Cambodian officials said they had questions about roughly 150 other artifacts in the Met’s collections that left Cambodia between 1970 and 2000, three decades during which the nation was torn apart by war, genocide and political upheaval. Also read: Anya Taylor-Joy named Dior's global brand ambassador In July, the U.S. attorney embraced the credibility of “Lion” when prosecutors cited him in court papers connected to the return of a Khmer statue, “Skanda on a Peacock,” which he says he looted. An unidentified private owner voluntarily handed over that artifact, according to a Justice Department news release that identified “Lion” as Looter 1. In the last decade, the Met and a few American museums have returned other Khmer items based on evidence of looting. In 2013, the Met returned two giant statues known as “Kneeling Attendants” after two of its curators visited a pillaged site called Koh Ker. At the time, the Cambodian government applauded the ethical standards and professionalism of the museum. As was the case with the “Kneeling Attendants,” six items on Cambodia’s Met list were once owned by Douglas A.J. Latchford, a prolific collector and accused trafficker of Khmer relics who died last year. Latchford’s daughter, who inherited his collection, has agreed to return 125 of his objects to Cambodia because of their tainted past. Latchford donated several of the items on Cambodia’s list, including a bronze face of a male deity now on display at the Met. “Lion” told Cambodian officials that he dug up the artifact and carried it off in a military backpack in the 1990s from a temple within the Koh Ker complex. Three other items on Cambodia’s list were either sold or donated to the Met by Doris Wiener, a Manhattan gallery owner and Southeast Asia specialist who died in 2011. “Lion” told Cambodian investigators that one of them, a “Standing Female Deity,” was part of a pair he placed in an ox cart and covered with hay before taking them away for sale in 1997. Khmer antiquities that arrived in museums, galleries and auction houses during and after the country’s era of upheaval have long been the subject of suspicion. In 1993, the International Council of Museums published a guide to 100 items known to have been looted from the Angkor temple complex. When the Met opened its Arts of South and Southeast Asia galleries in 1994, New York Times critic Holland Cotter wrote, “One is prompted to speculate on exactly how art objects are extracted from their impoverished, often strife-torn homes of origin to land in the lap of a rich American museum.” This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Cambodia says the Met Museum has dozens of its looted antiquities

After months of uncertainty members of the &nbsp;Metropolitan Opera orchestra on Tuesday announced they'd ratified their contract with management, setting the stage for the largest US performing arts organization to reopen next month.

"We are thrilled to be returning to regular performances very soon, and look forward to reconnecting with our audiences," said the local 802 branch president Adam Krauthamer and the Met Orchestra Committee in a joint statement.

The collective bargaining agreement follows months of often heated labor talks including pay cuts for musicians, who for nearly a year during the pandemic went unpaid.

"The members of the Met's great orchestra have been through Herculean challenges during the sixteen months of the shutdown, as we struggled to keep the company intact," said Met general manager Peter Gelb, the Met's General Manager.&nbsp;

"Now, we look forward to rebuilding and returning to action."

Terms of the agreement were not made public, but according to documents reported by The New York Times musicians and management struck a four-year deal including pay cuts of 3.7 percent, with vows to restore some of that pay once box office revenues hit 90 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

The lack of a deal had threatened the Met's 2021-22 season set to open in September, at which point its famed house will have been shuttered 18 months.

The orchestra shop is the last of three major Met unions to reach an deal, though several smaller unions have yet to find agreements.

The Times also said much of Met's savings will come from reducing the company's full-time orchestra to 83 from the previously required 90; a number of musicians retired during the pandemic, some of whom management is now allowed to not replace.

The Met aims to reopen on September 27 with "Fire Shut Up In My Bones" by Terence Blanchard, the first Black composer to stage a production at the esteemed venue.

In July Met management said all customers and staff along with orchestra and chorus members would need to show proof of vaccination against Covid-19 during the 2021-22 season.

Children under the age of 12, a group currently ineligible for vaccines, will not be allowed to enter the Met even if the adults accompanying them are vaccinated.

After months of uncertainty members of the Metropolitan Opera orchestra on Tuesday announced they'd ratified their contract with management, setting the stage for the largest US performing arts organization to reopen next month.

After months of uncertainty members of the Metropolitan Opera orchestra on Tuesday announced they'd ratified their contract with management, setting the stage for the largest US performing arts organization to reopen next month. "We are thrilled to be returning to regular performances very soon, and look forward to reconnecting with our audiences," said the local 802 branch president Adam Krauthamer and the Met Orchestra Committee in a joint statement. The collective bargaining agreement follows months of often heated labor talks including pay cuts for musicians, who for nearly a year during the pandemic went unpaid. "The members of the Met's great orchestra have been through Herculean challenges during the sixteen months of the shutdown, as we struggled to keep the company intact," said Met general manager Peter Gelb, the Met's General Manager. "Now, we look forward to rebuilding and returning to action." Terms of the agreement were not made public, but according to documents reported by The New York Times musicians and management struck a four-year deal including pay cuts of 3.7 percent, with vows to restore some of that pay once box office revenues hit 90 percent of pre-pandemic levels. The lack of a deal had threatened the Met's 2021-22 season set to open in September, at which point its famed house will have been shuttered 18 months. The orchestra shop is the last of three major Met unions to reach an deal, though several smaller unions have yet to find agreements. The Times also said much of Met's savings will come from reducing the company's full-time orchestra to 83 from the previously required 90; a number of musicians retired during the pandemic, some of whom management is now allowed to not replace. The Met aims to reopen on September 27 with "Fire Shut Up In My Bones" by Terence Blanchard, the first Black composer to stage a production at the esteemed venue. In July Met management said all customers and staff along with orchestra and chorus members would need to show proof of vaccination against Covid-19 during the 2021-22 season. Children under the age of 12, a group currently ineligible for vaccines, will not be allowed to enter the Met even if the adults accompanying them are vaccinated.

Met museum strikes union deal with musicians, set to reopen next month

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art will reopen five days a week starting August 29 after being shuttered since March 13 to curb the spread of the coronavirus, museum officials announced Wednesday.

The Met's Fifth Avenue building will be open Thursday through Monday with safety protocols including frequent cleaning and visitors limited to 25 per cent of the museum's capacity, the officials said.

Face coverings and social distancing will be required.

"Perhaps now more than ever the Museum can serve as a reminder of the power of the human spirit and the capacity of art to bring comfort, inspire resilience, and help us better understand each other and the world around us," museum president Daniel H.Weiss said in a statement.

The Met's Cloisters facility in upper Manhattan will open at a later date, officials said.

The Met Breuer on Madison Avenue, which the Met took over in 2016, will not reopen.

It is being turned over to the Frick Collection as a temporary home during renovation of the Frick's Fifth Avenue mansion.

The planned reopening of the 150-year-old Met is the latest sign of New York's cautious resumption of normal activities as city and state officials seek to avoid a resurgence of the virus.

New York has not seen a significant uptick in infections as the state has slowly reopened its economy starting in May, but Gov.

Andrew Cuomo has sought to crack down on travelers from states where COVID-19 is spreading at higher rates and is urging New Yorkers to wear masks, wash their hands and stay 6 feet away from others."We cannot go back to the hell we experienced three months ago, so please stay vigilant and New York tough," Cuomo said Wednesday.

About 1.3 per cent of people tested in New York for COVID-19 Tuesday were positive, according to Cuomo's office.

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art will reopen five days a week starting August 29 after being shuttered since March 13 to curb the spread of the coronavirus, museum officials announced Wednesday.

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art will reopen five days a week starting August 29 after being shuttered since March 13 to curb the spread of the coronavirus, museum officials announced Wednesday. The Met's Fifth Avenue building will be open Thursday through Monday with safety protocols including frequent cleaning and visitors limited to 25 per cent of the museum's capacity, the officials said. Face coverings and social distancing will be required. "Perhaps now more than ever the Museum can serve as a reminder of the power of the human spirit and the capacity of art to bring comfort, inspire resilience, and help us better understand each other and the world around us," museum president Daniel H.Weiss said in a statement. The Met's Cloisters facility in upper Manhattan will open at a later date, officials said. The Met Breuer on Madison Avenue, which the Met took over in 2016, will not reopen. It is being turned over to the Frick Collection as a temporary home during renovation of the Frick's Fifth Avenue mansion. The planned reopening of the 150-year-old Met is the latest sign of New York's cautious resumption of normal activities as city and state officials seek to avoid a resurgence of the virus. New York has not seen a significant uptick in infections as the state has slowly reopened its economy starting in May, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo has sought to crack down on travelers from states where COVID-19 is spreading at higher rates and is urging New Yorkers to wear masks, wash their hands and stay 6 feet away from others."We cannot go back to the hell we experienced three months ago, so please stay vigilant and New York tough," Cuomo said Wednesday. About 1.3 per cent of people tested in New York for COVID-19 Tuesday were positive, according to Cuomo's office.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art to open 5 days a week starting August 29

Getting bored at your homes as the world practices self isolation? The world museums and galleries have the best activity for you to indulge in during the time of quarantine.&nbsp;

Close to 2500 world-class museums are now offering virtual tours on Google's Arts &amp; Culture pages. The New York Academy of Medicine has meanwhile invited libraries and cultural institutions to provide coloring pages based on their collections and more.&nbsp;

Additional virtual options include browsing the audio guide library or the museum's extensive video vault, which houses films both made and collected by the Met beginning in the 1920s are available. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced a selection of online content and social media initiatives that offer ways for audiences to access and enjoy its collection, programs and educational resources during its lockdown. Families can discover interactive maps, videos, and fun facts for children with #MetKids, while ‘The Artist Project’ video series find 120 contemporary artists discussing a specific work or gallery.

"As we are thinking of everyone in New York City and beyond in this exceptional time, we want to share the riches of the Museum's art and scholarship as a means for inspiration and connection. The website and social media channels have something for all -- from a virtual gallery visit, or a close look at a masterpiece alongside a renowned artist, or an engaging activity that can be enjoyed with others," Max Hollein, Director of The Met, said in a statement.

There are coloring books and free to download as PDF pages -- that are best for artists of all ages. You can also delve into the archive of the Getty Museum and the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles.

The Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec are offering various botanical sketches from its collection, while the Europeana has dedicated its new coloring book to the history of women's rights across the European continent. 
&nbsp;

Getting bored at your homes as the world practices self isolation? The world museums and galleries have the best activity for you to indulge in during the time of quarantine.

Getting bored at your homes as the world practices self isolation? The world museums and galleries have the best activity for you to indulge in during the time of quarantine. Close to 2500 world-class museums are now offering virtual tours on Google's Arts & Culture pages. The New York Academy of Medicine has meanwhile invited libraries and cultural institutions to provide coloring pages based on their collections and more. Additional virtual options include browsing the audio guide library or the museum's extensive video vault, which houses films both made and collected by the Met beginning in the 1920s are available. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced a selection of online content and social media initiatives that offer ways for audiences to access and enjoy its collection, programs and educational resources during its lockdown. Families can discover interactive maps, videos, and fun facts for children with #MetKids, while ‘The Artist Project’ video series find 120 contemporary artists discussing a specific work or gallery. "As we are thinking of everyone in New York City and beyond in this exceptional time, we want to share the riches of the Museum's art and scholarship as a means for inspiration and connection. The website and social media channels have something for all -- from a virtual gallery visit, or a close look at a masterpiece alongside a renowned artist, or an engaging activity that can be enjoyed with others," Max Hollein, Director of The Met, said in a statement. There are coloring books and free to download as PDF pages -- that are best for artists of all ages. You can also delve into the archive of the Getty Museum and the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles. The Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec are offering various botanical sketches from its collection, while the Europeana has dedicated its new coloring book to the history of women's rights across the European continent.

You can now take virtual tours of world-class galleries, museums during quarantine

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Met Museum to return antiquities to India as part of 1,414 objects to be sent by US

Cambodia says the Met Museum has dozens of its looted antiquities

Met museum strikes union deal with musicians, set to reopen next month

The Metropolitan Museum of Art to open 5 days a week starting August 29

You can now take virtual tours of world-class galleries, museums during quarantine