Nine MSN said in a report that the National Gallery of Australia has taken legal action against a New York-based gallery over its purchase of a bronze statue. "Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Nataraja)" was claimed as an 11th-century Indian sculpture by Art of the Past, which was subsequently sold to the Australian national gallery for $5 million or $A5.6 million in 2008.
The legal representation of the Gallery said Art of the Past induced them through fraud to buy the sculpture through misrepresentations and false assurances regarding the bronze sculpture's history. Court documents revealed that the dealer provided sales receipts for the Shiva dating far back as 1970.
However, Nine MSN said that in July 2012, a warehouse belonging to the director of the New York-based business has been raided by authorities on claims that the warehouse contained stolen art items. The raid reportedly seized tens of millions of dollars worth of art claimed to have been stolen. Some of the items seized by US authorities were said to be Indian status with markings remarkably similar to the Shiva sold to the Gallery.
The Australian news agency said a principle has already entered a guilty plea to multiple counts of trafficking art that was stolen.
Further investigations in relation to the raid revealed that the Gallery's Shiva was stolen from an Indian temple, which is a government property.
Court documents read, "Based on information obtained ... the Shiva has lost its financial value, and its clouded title and notoriety means that the work cannot be promoted as a key work of art in the Gallery's Indian Collection."
Nine MSN said the legal action was the Gallery's step to recover the costs incurred in procuring the bronze statue. The Gallery is reportedly seeking for costs of the Shiva, which include interest, freight and legal costs.
