MEDIA RELEASE
Friday 6 March 2015

National Gallery of Australia ANNOUNCEMENT
The National Gallery of Australia (the “NGA”) and the Nancy Wiener Gallery, Inc. (the “NWG”) today announced that they will voluntarily donate an ancient sculpture, a Seated Buddha, to India.  The NGA purchased the red sandstone sculpture from the NWG in 2007 for AU $1,266,268.00 (approximately equivalent to US $1,080,000 in 2007).  The work, from the Mathura region of Uttar Pradesh, was made during the Kushan period (2nd century BCE-3rd century CE).

Discussions about a possible return of the sculpture began between the NGA and the NWG in October of 2014.  In 2007, the NGA regarded the information available about the sculpture as adequate at the time of its purchase with documented provenance outside India in 1964-66. As a result of new research undertaken by the NGA, particularly in light of the recently published Australian Government Guidelines for Collecting Cultural material, the NGA considers it unclear as to whether the work’s export from India complies with current Australian law.  Given the passage of time, the NGA is of the view that further clarification on this issue is unlikely. Accordingly, the NGA and NWG have agreed that the best course is to donate the work to a museum or other cultural institution located in India.

While the NWG affirms its confidence in the provenance of the Seated Buddha, it is dedicated to its relationship with the NGA. Therefore, the NWG has offered to refund the purchase price of the sculpture to the NGA, and to join with the NGA in donating the work to an appropriate Indian cultural institution.  Both parties are now working collaboratively in the spirit of good will and with Indian officials to determine an appropriate destination in India for this great work.

Since the late 1960s, the National Gallery of Australia has been developing its collection in order to share the rich cultures of its Asian neighbors with its audience. “However, under the new guidelines for collecting cultural material, we have decided that it is best to give the Seated Buddha to India,” said NGA Director, Gerard Vaughan. Both parties believe that the pending donation to a cultural institution in India is the best possible outcome, and the NGA has publicly acknowledged the exceptional cooperation of the NWG.

“The NWG understands the situation, and we appreciate and respect the new policies at the NGA and the new standards of the Australian government towards the stewardship of antiquities,” said Nancy Wiener, President of NWG. “We have endeavored to find an agreeable resolution for both parties.”

The transfer of the Seated Buddha is expected to occur in 2015.

The details of the work are:

Kushan period
(2nd century BCE-3rd century CE)
Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India
Seated Buddha 2nd century
Red sandstone
129.5 x 101.5 x 30.5 cm
Purchased with the generous assistance of Roslyn Packer AO, 2007 

http://www.nancywiener.com    
http://nga.gov.au/aboutus/press  

MEDIA ENQUIRIES 

Alison Wright, Head of Marketing and Communications 
National Gallery of Australia 
T: 02 6240 6643 M: 0409 997 226 E: alison.wright@nga.gov.au

Cara Becker, Marketing and Communications Coordinator National Gallery of Australia
T: 02 6240 6431 E: cara.becker@nga.gov.au