Italy Opens ‘Museum Of Rescued Art’ To House Looted Relics It’s Since Recovered

A new museum has opened its doors in Rome, but this one’s unlike any other in the Italian capital. That’s because the premise of the space is to showcase the dozens of returned relics that had once been stolen and trafficked to the United States. 

According to The Guardian, about 100 of the 260 Etruscan, Greek, and Roman artifacts that have been returned to the country over a period of time are now on display at the Museum of Rescued Art’s first exhibition, located right in the heart of the ancient Baths of Diocletian. 

Visitors will get to view figurines, statues, urns, and coins, many of which are believed to have been looted by tomb-raiders in the 1980s, before they were smuggled out of Europe.

Intriguingly, one of the ancient relics on display—a white marble head sculpture of Emperor Settimio Sever—nearly made it to auction in 2020, and could’ve been bought by Kim Kardashian. 

As per Artnet News, after the first show closes on October 15, a new series of artifacts will go on display at the museum. 

Dario Franceschini, Italy’s Minister of Culture, said that the stolen pieces had been a “significant loss” to the country’s cultural heritage, and that it was the government’s responsibility to regain these artifacts in order to “preserve identity-related values and acknowledge a shared cultural history.” 

[via The Guardian and Artnet News, cover image via Scaliger | Dreamstime.com]