Author

S Vijay Kumar

Nehru’s aide who turned into an art dealer in the US

The India Pride Project’s #BringOurGodsHome initiative has helped bring many stolen idols back to our country.

02 Jul 2022

A Vahana from Karnataka awaits its Lord

Indian art is no longer fair game but then success, as is the norm, has many fathers.

08 Jun 2022

An Odisha idol in Oz, provenance, research & ethics

The villagers of Choudwar have a superior claim on their Godling and we hope the NGA and the Government of India work to bring her back home.

30 Apr 2022

Blood antiquities from Kashmir in a New York Museum

For a more detailed perusal of the New York museum’s collection of Kashmiri artefacts, we split their collection into those from the ‘gifts’ of the mathematician Samuel Eilenberg and the rest.

26 Mar 2022

Courts should hold Indian museums to account

We show how a museum in Kolkata is indulging in cover-up of theft of artefact in its collection despite overwhelming evidence provided, even though current custodians are willing to restitue bronze.

23 Feb 2022

Violations of 1970 U.N. Convention by U.S. Museums

The idol-collecting cabal has been increasingly critical of many much-needed actions by states including criminal prosecutions and civil forfeiture of stolen property in recent years.

20 Dec 2021

An auction house dealer and a Pallava lion in New Zealand

A trial court had noted that Bruce Miller, an US antiquity dealer working for Spink & Son, was involved in the smuggling case and though he was called a proclaimed offender, no action was taken.

30 Oct 2021