Joint Press Statement – The Department of Antiquities of the State of Libya and The Cleveland Museum of Art

TRIPOLI, LIBYA AND CLEVELAND, OHIO (USA)— (April 18, 2025)—The Department of Antiquities of the state of Libya (the “Department”) and The Cleveland Museum of Art (“CMA”) have signed an agreement for the transfer of a Ptolemaic Statue of a Man to the State of Libya. The statue was acquired by CMA in 1991. Based on information provided by the Department as well as CMA’s own research, CMA determined that the statue should be transferred to the State of Libya.  For now, the statue will be on loan to CMA in furtherance of the U.S.-Libya cultural property agreement and displayed as the property of Libya.     

Dr. Mohammed Faraj Mohammed Al-Fallos, Chair of the Department of Antiquities of Libya, commented: “We appreciate the willingness of the Cleveland Museum of Art to work with the Department in accomplishing the transfer of this important work.  We look forward to continued cooperation with the Museum.” Dr. William M. Griswold, Director of the Cleveland Museum of Art, noted: “We are pleased with the collaboration and open dialogue we have had with our colleagues in the Department of Antiquities and look forward to the opportunity this agreement presents for enhanced cultural exchange with Libya.” 

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About the Cleveland Museum of Art 

The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is renowned for the quality and breadth of its collection, which includes more than 66,500 artworks and spans 6,000 years of achievement in the arts. The museum is a significant international forum for exhibitions, scholarship, and performing arts and is a leader in digital innovation. One of the leading encyclopedic art museums in the United States, the CMA is recognized for its award-winning open access program—which provides free digital access to images and information about works in the museum’s collection—and free of charge to all. The museum is located in the University Circle neighborhood with two satellite locations on Cleveland’s west side: the Community Arts Center and Transformer Station. 

The museum is supported in part by residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture and made possible in part by the Ohio Arts Council (OAC), which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts. The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically. For more information about the museum and its holdings, programs, and events, call 888-CMA-0033 or visit cma.org.