GETTY TO RETURN TWO WORKS TO GREECE

Resolving a decade-long dispute, the Greek government and the Getty Museum have announced that the Getty has agreed to hand over an ancient gold funerary wreath and a marble statue that were illegally excavated and removed from Greece, reports the New York Times‘ Anthee Carassava. The decision was hailed as a major triumph against antiquities smuggling, the capstone of a recent campaign by Greece—with significant help from Italy—to put public pressure on some of the world’s top museums and private collectors. “This is a glorious moment,” Culture Minister Georgios A. Voulgarakis said at a news conference in Athens. “It shows that serious work can produce serious results.” In an interview from London, Michael Brand, the Getty Museum’s director, said, “Both sides wanted to get it right.”