A Roman statue, illegally imported into the United States, must be returned to Italy by US authorities. The statue is the subject of a lawsuit in which the names of reality star Kim Kardashian and the Belgian art dealer Axel Vervoordt are mentioned.
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It is a fragment of a Roman copy of Myron’s ‘Samian Athena’, dating back to the first to second century. The US authorities relied on the view of an Italian archaeologist, who states in the legal file that the statue fragment was “looted, smuggled and illegally exported.”
The French news agency AFP was able to look into court documents mentioning Kim Kardashian as recipient and importer. She is said to have traded under the name of the Noel Roberts Trust.
That fund is linked to real estate transactions of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, who are now in divorce. The court documents also refer to a 2016 invoice relating to the sale by Axel Vervoordt. Another invoice shows that Vervoordt bought the work in 2012 from Galerie Chenel in Paris.
Vervoordt is said to have been hired by Kim Kardashian and Kanye West at the time to take care of the interior of their home in Calabasas near Los Angeles, states the art website Artnet News. A spokesman for Kardashian said AFP however, that it was inaccurate information.
– Antiques dealer Axel Vervoordt. Photo: fred debrock
The statue was intercepted when it arrived at the port of Los Angeles in 2016: it was part of a 5.5-ton shipment worth nearly $ 750,000. Authorities had been warned it could be a protected cultural property.
As part of a bilateral agreement with Italy to stop the looting of cultural heritage, the United States has decided to restrict the import of archaeological material from the southern European country. Importers must therefore be able to provide clear documents permitting the import, or other permits certifying that the import does not contravene the laws of the country of origin.
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