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The University of Michigan Museum of Art is sending a ninth-century Buddha statue back to Nepal, ArtNews reported.
The university has had the statute in its collection since 2016, but museum officials recently learned the piece was originally taken from its homeland without permission. The university’s Board of Regents voted unanimously Thursday to repatriate the statue.
“The statue was received as a donation in 2016, and the donor provided a 1988 purchase receipt from a London antiques shop,” provost Laurie McCauley wrote in a document submitted to the board. However, “ample and persuasive information has been provided to UMMA showing the statue was likely taken from Nepal without authorization in the mid-1970s.”
“In light of this information and the history of theft of cultural artifacts from this region of the world, repatriating the statue would be appropriate and consistent with museum best practices for collection management,” she added.
