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Provenance project: Works from Art of the Past gallery

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By the Art Gallery of NSW

This is one of the provenance research projects currently being undertaken by the Art Gallery of New South Wales. For more about the Art Gallery and provenance: artgallery.nsw.gov.au/provenance

Indian-born art dealer Subhash Kapoor operated a New York commercial gallery, Art of the Past, specialising in Indian art, and sold or donated works to many international museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Honolulu Academy of Arts, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio, Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore, National Gallery of Australia and Art Gallery of New South Wales.

In 2011 Kapoor was arrested in Germany for alleged illegal export of antiquities and extradited to India in 2012. In 2019 a complaint was filed by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office charging him with 86 criminal counts of grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, and conspiracy to defraud. He is believed to be connected with over 2600 illicitly trafficked objects. In July 2020 the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office requested extradition of Kapoor from India to the United States. On 1 November 2022 Kapoor was found guilty of criminal conspiracy, and of buying and dealing in stolen goods. He was sentenced to ten years in prison in India.

The Art Gallery acquired six Indian works of art from Art of the Past between 1994 and 2004. One of these, a sculpture of Ardhanarishvara purchased in 2004, came from the Vriddhachalam Temple in Tamil Nadu. It was voluntarily returned to India by the Australian Government in 2014, along with a work from the National Gallery of Australia's collection. In 2022, the Art Gallery deaccessioned three more sculptures in preparation for their voluntary return to India.

Two paintings remain in the Art Gallery's possession. Click on the images to see more detailed collection records.

The Art Gallery welcomes any information regarding the provenance of works of art in our collection. Contact provenance@ag.nsw.gov.au

These works have been de-accessioned.
For more information: artgallery.nsw.gov.au/art/collection/deaccessioning

This work, *Varaha rescuing the earth goddess, Bhudevi* 900s, was purchased by the Art Gallery in 1999 from Art of the Past and de-accessioned in 2022 for return to India.

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This work, Varaha rescuing the earth goddess, Bhudevi 900s, was purchased by the Art Gallery in 1999 from Art of the Past and de-accessioned in 2022 for return to India.

This work, *A winged deity* 2nd century BCE – 1st century BCE, was purchased by the Art Gallery in 1994 from Art of the Past and de-accessioned in 2022 for return to India.

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This work, A winged deity 2nd century BCE – 1st century BCE, was purchased by the Art Gallery in 1994 from Art of the Past and de-accessioned in 2022 for return to India.

This work, *Rattle in the form of a lady playing the drum* 2nd century BCE – 1st century BCE, was purchased by the Art Gallery in 1994 from Art of the Past and de-accessioned in 2022 for return to India.

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This work, Rattle in the form of a lady playing the drum 2nd century BCE – 1st century BCE, was purchased by the Art Gallery in 1994 from Art of the Past and de-accessioned in 2022 for return to India.

This work, *Ardhanarishvara*, was purchased by the Art Gallery in 2004 from Art of the Past and returned to India in 2014.

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This work, Ardhanarishvara, was purchased by the Art Gallery in 2004 from Art of the Past and returned to India in 2014.