Sixty-Two Years: The Met’s Repatriation Efforts

By Daphne Richard

A marble bust depicting a man, dating to the first century C.E. Courtesy of the Greek Ministry of Culture

Smuggled and trafficked sixty-two years ago, the Met followed new provenance information spearheaded by the Manhattan District Attorney's Antiquities Trafficking Unit that paved the way for the return of eight different objects to Greece. Included in this return are two Cretan bronze helmets with an additional three Mitarai—torso guards worn around the lower abdomen—dated to the late-seventh century. The remaining three pieces consist of a Hellenistic gold-and-garnet amphora, a Middle Helladic terracotta jug, and a Roman marble head of a veiled man from the early first century.

Typically, when we think of art smuggling and trafficking, it is rare to think these works may end up in the hands of reputable collectors and museums. The armour pieces have recently been attributed to a looting of an excavation site sometime between 1964 and 1966. Following this, they were smuggled into the United States and later donated to the Met by a collector. This story is just one of many; however, the Met and the Antiquities Trafficking Unit demonstrate a real strive towards protecting and restoring cultural heritage.

In 2023, the Met announced its ‘Cultural Property Initiative.’ This initiative onboarded Lucian Simmons, Head of Provenance Research, and expanded the provenance research team. Since the passing of this campaign, the Met has returned dozens of artefacts and works, including twelve significant Hellenic works, back to Greece last October. This consistency in repatriation has fostered a blossoming relationship between Greece and the world, one that has led to immense collaboration and the sharing of Greek heritage. Alongside this initiative, the Antiquities Trafficking Unit, since its founding in 2017, have pushed the hand of justice towards repatriation. In sum, they have returned 175 looted antiquities and recovered over 6,400 cultural objects, ranging from manuscripts to works of art. Activism is nothing without action; these programs, in tandem, have spearheaded what repatriation and trafficking justice can look like in global cultural institutions.

Minister of Culture of Greece, Lina Mendoni, at a repatriation ceremony in Manahattan on 21 September 2026 with various objects.

Image Courtesy of Greek Ministry of Culture

This repatriation arrives at a unique moment in the conversation around art requisition, restitution, and repatriation. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has directly called on UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham to return the Elgin Marbles to Greece in full. Given the Met's evolving partnership with Greece, it might seem as though other Western institutions would follow suit, but complicated provenance issues and restrictive legislation, such as the British Museum Act of 1963, make that far from straightforward.

At the official repatriation ceremony, held at the Manhattan District Attorney's office on September 21st, Simmons stated: "Our understanding of an object's history is never static, and new evidence can reshape what we know [...] sustained research and open dialogue with colleagues around the world are so important, allowing us to clarify the histories of objects and determine the most appropriate way forward."

His words offer strong insight into the future of the Met's efforts for change and perhaps even allude to the shortcomings of other institutions. The Elgin Marbles have been stuck in a standstill whilst the Met actively works to reshape its institutional practices. Perhaps it is not about the objects themselves, but rather which institutions are willing to have that conversation at all.

Bibliography

Ali, Ikram. 2026. “D.A. Bragg Announces Return of 15 Antiquities to the People of Greece.” Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, September 22. https://manhattanda.org/d-a-bragg-announces-return-of-15-antiquities-to-the-people-of-greece/.

Archaeology Newsroom. 2026. “The Met Returns Objects to the Hellenic Republic.” Archaeology Wiki, September 24. https://www.archaeology.wiki/blog/2026/09/24/the-met-returns-objects-to-the-hellenic-republic/.

Carrigan, Margaret. 2026. “The Met Is Rewriting the Rules on Returning Contested Art.” Artnet News, September 22. https://news.artnet.com/artnet-bulletin/met-repatriation-sep-22-2814421.

Neuendorf, Henri. 2017. “Art Traffickers Beware: The Manhattan DA Is Deploying a New Unit to Combat NYC’s Antiquities Crime Wave.” Artnet News, December 18. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/manhattan-antiquities-traficking-unit-1182896.

The Met. 2023. “About the Met’s Collecting Practices - the Metropolitan Museum of Art.” Metmuseum.Org. https://www.metmuseum.org/policies/about-the-mets-collecting-practices.

The Met. 2025. “The Metropolitan Museum of Art Returns 12 Objects to the Hellenic Republic of Greece - the Metropolitan Museum of Art.” Metmuseum.Org, October 3. https://www.metmuseum.org/press-releases/greek-return-250.

The Met. 2026. “The Metropolitan Museum of Art Returns Objects to the Hellenic Republic - the Metropolitan Museum of Art.” Metmuseum.Org, September 21. https://www.metmuseum.org/press-releases/greek-return-2026.