Asian Art Provenance Project

Photograph of women walking in front of large colourful painting by Rodel Tapaya.

Installation view of Rodel Tapaya, The promise land: the moon, the sun, the stars, 2016 (detail), purchased 2017

About

The National Gallery’s Asian Art Provenance Project, which was launched in 2014, has resulted in deaccession and repatriation of a number of works to their countries of origin.

Since the arrest of art dealer Subhash Kapoor in 2011, all artworks acquired by the National Gallery from his New York dealership Art of the Past have now been deaccessioned. This includes the return to India of Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Nataraja).

Download PDF Acquisitions from Art of the Past, New York.

The Asian Art Provenance Project was reviewed by the Honourable Susan Crennan AC, former Justice of the High Court of Australia, in 2015.

You can read the 2015 Crennan review here.

Do you have information about any of the works of art in our collection?

We would love to hear from you. To share your knowledge, please email us at provenance@nga.gov.au.

watercolour of the goddess Lakshmi sitting on a lotus throne with elephants on either side that sprinkle water from the holy River Ganges

Kalighat Style, Lakshmi, Goddess of Prosperity and Beauty, lustrated by elephants [Gajalakshmi], 1855–60, The Gayer-Anderson Gift 1954

Collection Areas

Media Releases

Media releases related to the project can be accessed at the following links:

Related

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Provenance Project

Painting of native grasses after the rain in pink, yellow, black, and white.

We apply the highest ethical standards to safeguard and protect the cultural property of art by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.

Research Library & Archives

Photograph of building exterior with blue sky and wire sphere sculpture

The Library houses comprehensive collection of visual arts literature, is open from Monday to Friday, 10am – 4.45pm, except on public holidays.

Provenance

South Asia

Close up photograph of conservator fixing colourful textile on table

The art of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka has always been central to the NGA collection.

How to Read Provenance Information

Photograph of woman seated at table with laptop and archival material surrounding her

Charting the changes in ownership of a work of art depends on documents such as wills, archives, receipts, auction sales and dealers' receipts.

European & American Art Provenance Project
1933–1945

Painting of a grassy path through a village

Investigation into the provenance of artwork presumed to have been in Europe between 1933 and 1945. Do you have information about any of these works?

Provenance

Gayer-Anderson Collection

Painting of a man seated on an elephant. Two men hold spears with one being tripped by the elephant's trunk.

We are keen to hear from you about this project, so please share your knowledge.