Italy Halts Art Loans to Minneapolis Institute Over Ancient Statue Dispute

The Italian Culture Ministry has imposed a ban on art loans to the Minneapolis Institute of Art amid a legal battle over a statue believed to have been looted in the 1970s.

Italy's Culture Ministry banned loans to the Minneapolis Institute of Art due to a dispute over the Stabiae Doriforo, a Roman-era statue.
The ban follows a long-standing legal conflict that began in March 2022 when an Italian court found the U.S. museum in irregular possession of the statue.
Italian prosecutors issued an international warrant in February 2022 for the return of the artwork, claiming it was looted from a site near Pompeii.
The Minneapolis Institute, which purchased the statue in 1986, denies wrongdoing, citing a lack of proof and reasonable evidence supporting their ownership.
The ban disrupts decades of cultural exchange between the Minneapolis Institute and Italian institutions, despite ongoing loan commitments by the U.S. museum.