Now, it’s finally set to return to Libya, where it was looted during British occupation in World War II, according to the Cleveland Museum of Art. The museum, which has held the piece since 1991, announced the planned return in a Monday news release. “Based on new information provided by the Department of Antiquities and research undertaken at the CMA, the museum voluntarily recognizes the statue as the property of Libya,” the news release read. The statue then ended up at the Ptolemais Museum in Libya, which was destroyed during the British occupation of the area. The statue spent the decades between 1966 and 1991 in the private collection of New York art collectors Lawrence and Barbara Fleischman and was donated to the museum in 1991.

Source: Libya Today June 04, 2024 03:35 UTC