[MSN] Getty Director Brand in Greece Tomorrow for Antiquities Talks

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Getty Director Brand in Greece Tomorrow for Antiquities Talks 

(The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Bloomberg.)

By Maria Petrakis 

May 15 (Bloomberg) -- The J. Paul Getty Museum's director, Michael Brand,
will have meetings with officials of the Greek Culture Ministry tomorrow to
discuss the country's request for the return of four antiquities. 

Brand will lead a group from the museum, including legal officials, in the
talks in the Greek capital, the ministry said in an e-mailed statement. The
talks will focus on ``issues of common interest related to Getty museum
exhibits,'' the ministry said, without providing further details. 

The Greek government said on Nov. 21 it would take legal action to recover
the four antiquities from the Getty. The attempt to reclaim the items, which
Greece says were illegally smuggled from the country, came as Italy put the
museum's former curator on trial on charges she acquired looted artifacts. 

The Getty said in December it would consider the Greek request after Brand
became director of the museum in January. 

Marion True, the former curator for the museum, denies any wrongdoing. The
Getty Museum handed over three antiquities that the Italian government says
were stolen, days before True's trial began, the Italian Culture Ministry
said Nov. 10. 

Greece is seeking the return of a gold funerary wreath, an inscribed
tombstone and a marble sculpture of a woman's torso dating to 400 B.C.,
bought by the Getty in 1993 for $5.2 million. J. Paul Getty himself
purchased the fourth item, a votive relief, in 1955, according to the Los
Angeles Times. 
 


To contact the reporter on this story:
Maria Petrakis in Athens at  mpetrakis at bloomberg.net
Last Updated: May 15, 2006 09:00 EDT