Nancy Wiener

Nancy Wiener is an antiquities dealer who pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and possession of stolen property.[1][2]

Art dealing

Daughter of art dealer Doris Wiener (d. April 6, 2011), Nancy Wiener also worked as an art dealer in New York.[1][3][4]

A joint federal and state investigation into antiquities trafficking known as "Hidden Idol" resulted in the criminal lawsuit People of the State of New York v. Nancy Wiener, No. SCI-05191-2016 (N.Y. Crim. Ct. filed Dec. 21, 2016). [5]

Wiener was arrested in Manhattan December 2016 and charged with conspiring with international smuggling and trafficking looted objects.[6][7][8] Her gallery sold art to clients including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum, Art Institute of Chicago and National Gallery of Australia.[9][10][11][12]

False provenance for looted art

Wiener acknowledged in court that she used fake provenances to conceal the true origins of the looted objects.[1] She was ordered to pay $1.2 million in forfeitures and fines.[13]

Restitutions to India and other countries

Numerous antiquities that passed through Doris and Nancy Wiener have been restituted to India following criminal investigations.[14][15][16] Cultural heritage artworks looted from Cambodia and Myanmar have also been investigated and in some cases returned.[17][18][19]

See also

• Denver Art Museum
• Subhash Kapoor
• Douglas Latchford

References

1. Mashberg, Tom (2021-10-05). "Antiquities Dealer Pleads Guilty for Role in Sale of Looted Items". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
2. "New York Art Dealer Pleads Guilty to Having Dealt Stolen Art". www.occrp.org. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
3. "Stolen statue linked to antiquities trafficker Doris Wiener repatriated to Cambodia". The Art Newspaper. 2022-11-07. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
4. Cotter, Holland (2010-03-18). "More Gods, Saints and Epic Flying Heroes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
5. "International Foundation for Art Research (IFAR)-Case Summary-People of New York v. Wiener". www.ifar.org. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
6. "UPDATED > Manhattan Dealer Nancy Wiener Arrested: Criminal Complaint Alleges Sweeping Conspiracy to Sell Stolen Asian Art Through Major Auction Houses". CHASING APHRODITE. 2016-12-21. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
7. Buffenstein, Alyssa (2016-12-22). "Antiquities Dealer Arrested for Laundering Looted Objects". Artnet News. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
8. Mashberg, Tom (2016-12-22). "Prominent Antiquities Dealer Accused of Selling Stolen Artifacts". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
9. Hersher, Rebecca. "New York Gallery Owner Arrested, Accused Of Trafficking Stolen Antiquities". NPR.
10. "Paid Notice: Deaths WIENER, DORIS". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
11. Peter, Whoriskey. "Global hunt for looted treasures leads to offshore trusts". washingtonpost.com. Museums holding antiquities linked to Latchford. The reporting team tracked relics that museums received directly through Douglas Latchford, and the Doris and Nancy Wiener gallery or the London auction house Spink & Son, which prosecutors say helped him sell looted antiquities.
12. Davies, Anne (2023-08-02). "National Gallery of Australia hands back ninth-century Cambodian sculptures it believes were stolen". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-11-19. In 2014 questions arose about a prized item in the NGA collection: a 2nd century Kushan period Seated Buddha from southern India bought in 2007 from a New York dealer, Nancy Wiener, for $US1.08m. Unable to allay the NGA's concerns, Wiener agreed to return the money. Together they donated the Seated Buddha to the Indian government. In 2016 Wiener was charged with dealing in stolen antiquities, including the Seated Buddha, finally pleading guilty in 2021. The indictment referred to "co-conspirator no 1", which the New York Times reported referred to Latchford.
13. "International Foundation for Art Research (IFAR)-Case Summary-People of New York v. Wiener". ifar.org. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
14. "US restores 307 antiquities, valued at nearly $4 million, to India". The Times of India. 2022-10-18. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
15. Cassady, Daniel (2023-05-04). "Missing Idol of Lord Shiva Linked to Dealer Who Pleaded Guilty To Trafficking Stolen Antiquities in 2021". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
16. "Two Sculptures Returned to Republic of India in 2019 and 2022". Denver Art Museum. 2023-10-31. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
17. "Denver Art Museum returns five Asian relics connected to disgraced NYC gallery owners". The Denver Post. 2023-09-20. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
18. "Dealer arrested for selling artefacts". The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
19. Ho, Karen K. (2022-11-03). "Manhattan Prosecutors Return 7th-Century Cambodian Statue Sold by Dealer Doris Wiener". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 2023-12-15. On Wednesday, the Manhattan District Attorney's office announced the return of a Vishnu statue from a 7th-century temple to Cambodia. The statue was given over in a repatriation ceremony attended by United States ambassador Keo Chhea and a member of the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations team. The district attorney's office of Alvin L. Bragg said the Cambodian statue was broken and looted from its original location under Wiener's direction. After restoration work was completed, the sandstone figure was smuggled into Manhattan through Thailand in 1995 and sold to a private collector.