@ChasingAphrodit

On the hunt for looted antiquities in the world's museums. Tweets by @jasonfelch also @ https://xitter.cf/t.co/Novuvtf8uq

 Los Angeles, CA
ChasingAphrodite.com
Joined May 2010
  • Tweets21.4K
  • Following3.7K
  • Followers9.8K
1KMedia
Follow us over at the other place, where we've now archived all our 9k tweets on art world muckraking and will prioritize going forward:
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Chasing Aphrodite retweeted
William Dalrymple
@DalrympleWillAug 28
An essay I've just written for @nytimes on why Big Tech is the 21st Century’s equivalent of the East India Company: "What It Would Take to Dismantle the Most Powerful Companies in the World" nytimes.com/2026/08/28/opini…

Opinion | What It Took to Dismantle the Most Powerful Company in the World

A playbook to curb the growing power of Big Tech.

nytimes.com
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Chasing Aphrodite retweeted
INAH
@INAHmxAug 10
#ÚLTIMAHORA 🚨 Bajo resguardo del INAH, el cráneo prehispánico con mosaico de turquesa, repatriado desde Países Bajos La Subdirección de Registro de Monumentos Arqueológicos Muebles ha realizado su inscripción pública, inventario y registro Entérate: inah.gob.mx/boletines/bajo-r…
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thehindu.com/news/cities/che…

Australia to return three antiquities stolen from Tamil Nadu temples

Australia will return three ancient Tamil Nadu artefacts, enhancing cultural ties during Prime Minister Modi's visit.

thehindu.com
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Replying to @poetryinstone @ChasingAphrodit @NGA
Finally
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Replying to @poetryinstone @ChasingAphrodit @NGA
Together with Jason Felch @ChasingAphrodit n Michaela Boland, I continued investigating the provenance of these objects, particularly the Carlton Rochell Nandi. Our research helped bring into the public domain the previously redacted provenance material,
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Chasing Aphrodite retweeted
MuddyWatersResearch
@muddywatersreMay 14
I’m excited to read “The Man Who Stole the Gods”, a true financial crime thriller about the art world and stolen national treasures. The author is @MattCampbell, who co-wrote “Dead in the Water”, a riveting true crime book about shipping, insurance fraud, and murder. Matt’s legit!
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Pablo Torre 👀
@PabloTorreMay 8
Spotted Apollo co-founder Leon Black — the billionaire who gave Jeffrey Epstein $170 million — at MSG. But I neglected to note the guy right next to him: Larry Gagosian, the top art dealer in the world
Pablo Torre Finds Out
@pablofindsoutMay 8
"The problem here is that we all have a sense that Madison Square Garden and the Knicks don't belong to one person." @PabloTorre went to a Knicks playoff game to test the limits of MSG's facial recognition ... along with Edward Snowden's lawyer, @benwizner. One Knicks fan they didn't expect to see at The Garden: the man who bankrolled Jeffrey Epstein.
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RIP Dr Ittai Gradel, the antiquities trade whistleblower who exposed the British Museum thefts. His warnings were ignored, then covered up. Ultimately he was proven right, and it cost the BM director his job. Ittai was a friend and source…an honorable man in a crooked field
Chasing Aphrodite@ChasingAphrodit25 Aug 2023
Replying to @ChasingAphrodit
In a remarkable statement, Fischer takes responsibility for mishandling the thefts – which he learned about in 2021 and dismissed – and apologizes for remarks made about the whistleblower, Ittai Gradel.
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Katie Razall at the BBC has a nice account of his life and work: bbc.com/news/articles/c1mk2p…

Ittai Gradel: Antiquities dealer who exposed British Museum thefts dies aged 61

Dr Ittai Gradel made global headlines after exposing the thefts of many artefacts from the British Museum.

bbc.com
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Here’s my mega-thread covering the story of the thefts blow by blow as they came to light
Chasing Aphrodite@ChasingAphrodit16 Aug 2023
Wow: Insider theft of artifacts at the British Museum The BM sacked an employee after it found items missing from its collection, including gold jewelry and gems dating from 15th century BC to 19th century AD theguardian.com/culture/2023…

British Museum sacks staff member after items vanish from collection

Treasures including jewellery and gems kept in a storeroom were found to be missing, stolen or damaged, the London museum said

theguardian.com
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Help us investigate the illicit antiquities trade! We're excited to announce volunteer positions at MOLA > Contributing Editors help peer review contributions. > Contributors research and write case studies on repatriated artifacts. Details below >
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Yes. #BringOurGodsHome
India in the UK
@HCI_LondonMar 4
Celebrating the Return of Items of India's Cultural Heritage! @HCI_London marked the return of treasured artefacts to India at a ceremony reflecting commitment to safeguarding and restoring heritage to it's rightful inheritors. Representatives from the @AshmoleanMuseum, HSI (@USAinUK), and the @metpoliceuk, who helped make this day possible, joined diaspora and the arts & culture community to mark this occasion. #IndianCulture #Antiquities #Heritage #Culture #Preservation #IndiaUK #IndiaUKPartnership #CultureConnect @MEAIndia @IndianDiplomacy @VDoraiswami @getkart @MinOfCultureGoI @iccr_hq @TheNehruCentre @FinMinIndia @secycultureGOI @diaspora_india @PMOIndia @ASIGoI @DRI_Mumbai @cbic_india
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washingtonpost.com/entertain… We did it again!! #BringOurGodsHome @sanjeevsanyal @MinOfCultureGoI @PMOIndia

Smithsonian Asian art museum to return three stolen bronzes to India

The National Museum of Asian Art is returning three works to the Indian government after extensive research indicated they were illegally taken.

washingtonpost.com
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With @artcrimeprof
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m.youtube.com/watch?v=d2vFFW… How we #BringOurGodsHome At UNESCO @sanjeevsanyal @UNESCO @MinOfCultureGoI @MEAIndia @PMOIndia

Session on Youth and Communities as Digital Guardians

UNESCO International Conference “Addressing Illicit Trafficking of ...

youtube.com
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Replying to @poetryinstone @guptanumis @ASIGoI @gssjodhpur @PMOIndia @sanjeevsanyal @MinOfCultureGoI @IndiaPrideProj @LindenMuseum @nelson_atkins
@metmuseum Den of loot proven again n again Great work by theartofsouthasia.com/2025/1… How many more looted from Gurukul museum Jhajjar !! @MEAIndia @PMOIndia @sanjeevsanyal @CombatLooting #BringOurGodsHome @HSINewYork @ChasingAphrodit metmuseum.org/art/collection…
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Chasing Aphrodite retweeted
David Gill@davidwjgill13 Nov 2025
Is Italy seeking the return of antiquities known prior to 1970? #Hecht lootingmatters.blogspot.com/…
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David Gill@davidwjgill5 Nov 2025
Met has returned Byzantine sculpture to Türkiye @metmuseum @ChasingAphrodit metmuseum.org/art/collection…

Capital with Bust of the Archangel Michael - Byzantine - The Metropolitan Museum of Art

This capital, in the form of a bust-length image of the winged archangel Michael, whose name is inscribed in Greek on its abacus, shows him turning to the right and holding a trilobed scepter, and an...

metmuseum.org
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Museums owe the public an explanation for moves like this
ARTnews@artnews4 Nov 2025
Sasha Suda, the director and CEO of the newly rebranded Philadelphia Art Museum, was dismissed on Tuesday. Suda was told of her dismissal via an email that stated she was being terminated for “cause,” though the email reportedly did not explicitly outline what that cause was. After the email was sent, “the board met, seemingly to be advised on what, exactly, the cause is.” Read more: artnews.com/art-news/news/ph…
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Chasing Aphrodite retweeted
ATHAR Project@ATHARProject22 Oct 2025
More than 5 years ago, Facebook created a "policy" to ban the sale of artifacts. Today, we finally see the first Facebook antiquities trafficking group to reach more than 1 million members. Facebook's policies are nothing more than PR. There is no enforcement.
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