Getty Museum Asserts Ownership Over Disputed Bronze

Il Presidente of the Italian region of Marche is in Los Angeles on a business trip—and he's a busy guy.

Between celebrity photo ops, updating his Facebook page and uploading videos, Gian Mario Spacca on Monday demanded the  give up the world-famous Getty Bronze, the Greek statue Italy claims as its own.

The Getty people politely declined, restated their positon that the statue is legitimately their property, and pointed out that the whole issue is in court.

The Getty Bronze, aka Victorious Youth, was discovered by fishermen in 1964, and sold for $1,600 to an art dealer.

The whereabouts of the statue were shrouded in mystery until the Getty purchased the statue for about $3.9 million, and put it on display 37 years ago.

The Getty says the statue is 2,300 years old, and is the work of the Greek artist Lisippo.

Spacca told the Getty "to behave ethically" by returning knowingly looted art to its homeland or risk losing it forever."

"We have not come to declare war on the Getty," he added.

Speaking at a news conference, Spacca unveiled a "cultural exchange" proposal to share custody of the bronze (also known to Italians as the Athlete of Fano).

Getty spokeswoman Julie Jaskol said Spacca on Friday toured the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades that has the Malibu name, and proposed that the Getty set up a "future relationship."

"It was a friendly meeting, and we were pleased that the (governor) and his group were able to visit," she said.

Jaskol said that while museum officials talked with Spacca, "we were clear at the start of our conversation that the Statue of a Victorious Youth, known as the Getty Bronze, was not a matter for discussion since legal issues regarding this object are ongoing in Italy.

The bronze is one of several star attractions at the Getty, including the iconic seven-foot marble and limestone Aphrodite, which Italian police escorted home last week following a long legal battle with the museum. 

Italian officials contend that rare antiquities had been buried for centuries, and discovered by citizens who sold them at a fraction of their worth to art thieves – and then were purchased by the museum without legitimate historical ownership credentials. 

Spacca characterized his proposal as a significant effort to break the deadlock in the Getty stolen-art conflict and speed a resolution after decades of failed negotiations and legal wrangling. 

In a separate action, the legal dispute is expected to be decided by an Italian high court later this week.