Italy Triumphs in Getty Museum Bronze Case: European Court Backs Sculpture Seizure

Italy successfully appealed to the European Court of Human Rights to seize the Greek statue "Victorious Youth" from the J. Paul Getty Museum in California. The court ruled that Italy's efforts to reclaim its cultural heritage were justified after rejecting the museum's appeal.

A European court upheld Italy's right to seize a prized Greek statue from the J. Paul Getty Museum in California, rejecting the museum's appeal on Thursday and ruling Italy was right to try to reclaim an important part of its cultural heritage.

The European Court of Human Rights determined that Italy's years-long efforts to recover the “Victorious Youth” statue were not disproportionate.

The Getty had appealed a 2018 Italian high court ruling that had confirmed a confiscation order issued by a lower court.

“Victorious Youth,” a life-sized bronze dating from 300 BC to 100 BC, is one of the highlights of the Getty collection.

An Italian court in Pesaro had ordered it seized and returned in 2010, at the height of Italy's campaign to recover antiquities looted from its territory and sold to museums and private collectors around the globe.