Italy's Culture Ministry has banned loans of works to the Minneapolis Institute of Art, following a dispute with the U.S. museum over an ancient marble statue believed to have been looted from Italy almost a half-century ago.
The dispute began in March 2022 when an Italian court ruled that the Minneapolis museum was irregularly in possession of the Stabiae Doriforo, a Roman-era copy of The Doryphoros of Polykleitos, an ancient Greek sculpture.
Rome claims that the sculpture was looted in the 1970s from an archaeological site at Stabiae, an ancient city close to Pompeii that was also covered by lava and ashes when Mount Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79.
A spokesman for Italy's Culture Ministry confirmed the ban on Wednesday.
In February 2022, Italian prosecutors issued an international warrant for the artwork to be impounded and returned. At a news conference earlier this year, Nunzio Fragliasso, chief prosecutor at the Torre Annunziata court, said they were "still awaiting a response."
In 1984, during an exhibition at a German museum, Italy began a legal process to claim it. The claim was rejected in 1986. The statue was bought by a U.S. museum in 1986 for $2.5 million from art dealer Elie Borowski and brought into the United States.
The museum stated that it has consistently acted "responsibly and proactively" regarding claims concerning its collection. However, it mentioned, "in cases where evidence has not been provided, or where Mia has reasonable evidence showing that a claim is unsubstantiated, Mia has refused to transfer the work."
The museum criticized Italy's recent prohibition on loans as "in opposition to decades of museum exchanges."
The Minnesota Institute of Art was originally established in 1915 and underwent expansions in 1974 and 2006.
The museum houses over 89,000 objects in its collection.
