“The other objects the Minister spoke about to the media have already been discussed at previous meetings between the Getty and the Ministry, and an approach to dealing with them was included in the October agreement signed by both sides. We continue to look forward to resolving any outstanding issues. That was the goal of the meeting in November which ended abruptly when the Ministry insisted that no agreement could be reached without the return of the Statue of a Victorious Youth, which we have made clear, in documents provided to the Ministry, rightfully belongs to the Getty.
We are pleased that the Minister has acknowledged the Getty is prepared to return 26 objects, and we have told the Ministry we are prepared to return the Cult Statue of a Goddess following further study. We continue to be disappointed that the Ministry’s attempt to revive a claim regarding the Statue of a Victorious Youth—a claim that was resolved decades ago by Italian courts—has stalled our progress.
We want to reiterate how important it is to resolve our differences. Italy and the Getty have many common interests when it comes to the arts. We tell the story of Italy’s rich cultural heritage every day at the J. Paul Getty Museum. We are committed to continuing our cooperative work in the areas of exhibition, conservation and scholarship.”