European court upholds Italy’s right to seize important bronze from Getty Museum, rejects appeal

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — A European court has upheld Italy’s right to seize a prized Greek statue from the J. Paul Getty Museum in California. The European Court of Human Rights rejecting the museum’s appeal on Thursday and ruled that Italy was right to try to reclaim an important part of its cultural heritage. The court determined that Italy’s years-long efforts to recover the “Victorious Youth” statue were not disproportionate. The Getty had appealed a 2018 Italian high court ruling that had confirmed a confiscation order issued by a lower court. “Victorious Youth” is a life-sized bronze dating from 300 B.C. to 100 B.C. and is one of the highlights of the Getty collection.