National Gallery Of Australia Returns Cambodian Sculptures

CANBERRA, Aug. 3 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Aug, 2023 ) --:The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) has announced the return of sculptures to the government of Cambodia.

Following a decade-long investigation, the NGA on Thursday said it had concluded the three bronze sculptures were, on the balance of probabilities, exported from their country of origin illegally.

The three 9th-10th century bronze sculptures were purchased in 2011 for 2.

3 million Australian Dollars (1.5 million U.S. dollars).

They were removed from display in the gallery's collection in 2021 amid an investigation into their provenance.

"The decision to repatriate these sculptures to the Kingdom of Cambodia is the culmination of years of research and due diligence that would not have been possible without the support of the Cambodian Government through the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts," NGA director Nick Mitzevich said in a statement on Thursday.