Antiquities from US collection returned to Greece

A black-figure amphora used to store wine oregon lipid (left) and an olpe, oregon wine pitcher, dating from the 6th period BC that person been voluntarily returned from the US are shown successful this undated handout photograph provided by the Culture Ministry connected Tuesday, April 21, 2026. [Handout/Culture Ministry]

The children of two salient American creation collectors person voluntarily returned to Greece 5 Greek antiquities acquired by their parents successful the 1970s and 80s, the Culture Ministry said Tuesday.

A ministry statement said the pieces of pottery, metalwork and sculpture day from the 6th period BC to the 2nd period AD and were handed implicit Monday to Culture Minister Lina Mendoni, who is visiting the US, astatine the Greek consulate-general successful Chicago. 

It said the children of Chicago creation trader and collector Richard Gray and his wife, creation historiographer Mary L. Gray, contacted Greek authorities to connection their instrumentality successful May 2025.

Greek authorities person agelong campaigned to recoup arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable of the country’s affluent taste practice that’s held successful backstage collections and museums overseas and is of questionable provenance.

The pieces being returned were identified arsenic an amphora and an olpe – a wine pitcher – with black-figure decoration, some high-quality pieces made made successful Attic workshops successful the 6th period BC, and a bronze reflector from the precocious 6th to aboriginal 5th period BC. Also, a headless marble statuette of Hermes, messenger of the gods, lacking its legs and forearms, from the 1st period BC to the 1st period AD and a fragmentary alleviation sculpture of Athena, goddess of wisdom, from the 2nd period AD.

The ministry did not specify however the Grays had acquired the works.

Mendoni described the Gray family’s determination arsenic “an enactment of generosity, work and a precocious consciousness of justness … that highlights the cardinal portion members of the nationalist play successful protecting taste heritage.”

“People who instrumentality Greek antiquities tin justly beryllium counted among the friends of Greek civilization and the allies of our state successful the combat against antiquities theft,” she said astatine the handover ceremony, adding that much than 200 artefacts person been returned from 17 countries implicit the past two years.

The ministry did not specify where and whether the 5 pieces would beryllium displayed erstwhile backmost successful Greece.

The Grays amassed a ample postulation of European and American paintings, drawings, and sculpture, including works by Rubens, Delacroix, Degas, Seurat, Van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, and Miró.