The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art has announced a partnership with the Yemeni government to display 77 looted artefacts from Yemen.
The artefacts, which the US government is repatriating to Yemen, will go on view at the museum until they can be returned to the country.
The National Museum of Asian Art is storing and caring for the objects during Yemen’s ongoing humanitarian crisis.
“With the current situation in Yemen, it is not the right time to bring the objects back into the country,” said Yemen’s ambassador to the US, Mohammed Al-Hadhrami.
“The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art is a global leader in the field of cultural heritage and preservation. We are pleased to see these objects in their care.”
This is the first time in nearly 20 years that the US government has returned cultural property to Yemen.
The Yemeni embassy and the US Department of State approached the National Museum of Asian Art in January to propose the partnership.
The Yemeni government and the Smithsonian have entered into a two-year custodial agreement, with the option to renew at the request of the former.
Two-year custodial agreement
Chase F. Robinson, the director of the National Museum of Asian Art, said the museum is “staunchly committed to the preservation of cultural heritage, and it is an honor to be entrusted with the care of this exceptional piece of history”.
The partnership, he added, is “a powerful example of how shared stewardship of objects can build bridges and serve as a catalyst for learning and understanding, and we look forward to working with the Yemeni community to tell their stories”.
Institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, London’s Horniman Museum and the Vatican Museums have recently returned stolen artefacts to their places of origin.
In October 2022, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art returned 29 Benin bronzes to Nigeria.
Images: Smithsonian
