The Met’s provenance review still faces hundreds of unresolved connections

ICIJ found that the Metropolitan Museum still held hundreds of objects associated with people linked to antiquities trafficking, despite years of seizures. The new analysis compared remaining holdings with the sources of previously confiscated works.

The museum said it was accelerating research into works connected with certain dealers and emphasized an object-by-object approach. It also identified pieces with strong ownership histories despite their association with a controversial dealer.

That distinction is essential: a concerning connection is a reason to investigate, not a complete provenance finding. The dispute concerns how proactively a museum should resolve uncertainty, and whether it should wait for prosecutors or another government to establish a case before acting.