Getty Director Meets with Italian Officials

ROME, June 19, 2006 -- The director of the J. Paul Getty Museum met with Italian officials in Rome on Monday to discuss a possible deal to return artifacts the Italians claim were illegally smuggled out of the country, but it remained unclear whether the two sides would reach an agreement soon.

The talks with Getty Director Michael Brand were being held in an "open" atmosphere, said Maurizio Fiorilli, the lead negotiator for the Italian Culture Ministry. He added it was unlikely that any deal would be reached during the session.

Italy has asked for the return of 52 artifacts it believes were stolen, including a statue of Aphrodite that the Los Angeles museum bought for $18 million in 1988.

"We have displayed much of our evidence. There is a very open attitude," Fiorilli told reporters.

He later said that "It's a step forward because we've talked, but I don't think we will reach an agreement tomorrow (Tuesday)."

But Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli said negotiations are ongoing and "I am confident that we can reach an agreement tomorrow (Tuesday)."

Brand described the day's events as "good meetings," and said a statement would be released Tuesday.

The talks are part of a wider Italian effort to crack down on antiquities trafficking and recover artifacts authorities contend were illegally stolen or exported from Italy and sold to European and U.S. museums.

"An era came to an end," Rutelli said. "An era when our societies somehow tolerated smuggling from our heritage, and how some international institutions can accept the fruits from the illegal activity and allow them to become part of their collections."

A former Getty curator, Marion True, is on trial in Rome accused of having knowingly purchased stolen artifacts for the museum. True denies any wrongdoing.

A dispute with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York was resolved in February when the museum agreed to return 21 contested pieces. Italy, in exchange, agreed to lend the museum objects of comparable importance.

The deal was hailed as a blueprint to resolve similar disputes.

Brand met in January with Culture Ministry officials for talks that were labeled "productive," but did not end in a deal.

Further complicating the negotiations, The Los Angeles Times reported Sunday that an internal review conducted last year by the Getty found that 350 items in the museum's antiquities collection, including Greek, Roman and Etruscan artifacts, were bought from dealers that foreign authorities have identified as convicted of dealing in stolen artifacts or suspected of such.

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