The Getty won't give in on the Lysippus Athlete and announces it will appeal

As was to be expected, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles does not intend to let go of its hold on the Lysippus Athlete following the immediate seizure ordered a few days ago by the Pesaro Gip. In fact, the U.S. museum intends to appeal to the Supreme Court, although the Pesaro prosecutor’s office is confident of a resolution of the matter in Italy’s favor: the ancient bronze work, attributed to the great Greek sculptor Lysippus, was fished in 1964 off the coast of Fano (the sculpture is therefore also known as “the atlata di Fano”), was then exported clandestinely to the United States, and following some passages ended up at the Getty Museum. After years of legal battles, the measure had been reached a few days ago, but Ron Hartwig, a spokesman for the museum, says there is no basis for a return of the work to Italy. Meanwhile, the minister of cultural heritage, Alberto Bonisoli, is calling for the path of diplomacy to resolve the thorny issue.

The minister’s hope, Bonisoli himself told ANSA, is that “we can arrive through a channel of cultural diplomacy at an agreement with the Getty Museum useful to recognize the Italian ownership of the statue and to provide for its return to our country, in ways and terms that are mutually beneficial.” It is difficult, however, to think that the Getty will give in, so the most feasible path at the moment seems to be the legal one, and the Pesaro prosecutor’s office, in the voice of deputy prosecutor Silvia Cecchi, says it is confident: “The announced appeal to the Supreme Court by the Getty Museum does not worry us at all,” and this is because the Getty is using, according to the prosecutor’s office, “worn, debated and judged theses. And they know that after another six or seven months, the adjournments will be over forever.”

The Getty won't give in on the Lysippus Athlete and announces it will appeal

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