Getty vs Pesaro: Legal Battle Over Lysippos' Victorious Athlete

The Getty Museum in Malibu faces renewed legal pressure from Italy to return the Victorious Athlete statue, attributed to Lysippos. In 2010 and 2011, Italian courts ordered confiscation and repatriation, recently confirmed by magistrate Giacomo Gasparini. The Getty contests the ruling, arguing the statue was recovered in international waters and has only a fortuitous connection to Italy. Spokesperson Ron Hartwig stated the museum will appeal to the Supreme Court to prevent the statue from leaving California. The statue was discovered in 1964 by fishermen off the Adriatic coast, sold to a Fano antiquarian for $4,000, and purchased by the Getty in 1977 for $3.95 million. The core dispute is whether the statue was found in Italian or international waters; Italian cultural heritage law mandates state ownership for artifacts found within its territory. This case follows precedents: the return of the Venus of Morgantina in 2011 and the Zeus Enthroned in 2017, raising questions about the Getty's acquisition practices.