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

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

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.

Collection Areas

Media Releases

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

Related

Provenance

The right of return

Lawyer Ian Mcdonald discusses the legal and ethical issues that arise in relation to collections held by galleries and museum.

Read Time 10 minutes

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.

Provenance

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

Works of art acquired from Art of the Past, New York

Photograph of entrance to building, camera facing upwards to the sky

The Gallery has been investigating the provenance and reviewing documentation for all works of art purchased from Art of the Past.

Provenance

Southeast Asia

A red, green and blue tapestry richly embroidered with gold thread forming flowering trees and a pair of bouraq, a mythical winged animal

The NGA celebrates the remarkable art of Southeast Asia.

Provenance

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.