AUSTRALIA, March 26, 2014 (The Hindu): India’s case for getting back the stolen Nataraja statue strengthened further when Australian Minister for Arts George Brandis criticized the national art museum of the country for its slack practices in purchasing the 1,000-year-old sculpture, allegedly stolen from Tamil Nadu.
Mr. Brandis, who is also the Attorney-General, told Four Corners, the current affairs program of Australia Broadcasting Corporation, that the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) did not “sufficiently comply” with due diligence standards while purchasing the statue. “When there was a sufficient level of doubt about the provenance of the object,” the gallery’s decision to recommend the purchase “was incautious.”
The NGA has been claiming that it followed proper procedures before purchasing the statue from Subhash Kapoor, U.S.-based antiquities dealer now lodged in a Chennai prison for his alleged role in the theft.
The ABC programme has unearthed evidence that dismantles the NGA’s claims. The ABC programme also accessed documents that show, Shane Simpson, heritage lawyer with Simpsons Solicitors, Australia, in 2008, cautioning the NGA against the proposed purchase of the Nataraja statue. In his written note, he mentioned that “the available evidence is minimal and inadequate investigations have been carried out.” Mr. Simpson warned that the NGA must be aware, “there is an inherent risk in the purchase” and “there is no evidence that provides any clue as to the origin of the object.” He even mentioned a possibility that “it was stolen from the original source [for example, a temple].”