Sotheby’s Controversial Sale of Pre-Columbian Artifacts Yields Low Sales Figures and Highlights the Increased Efforts of Countries to Repatriate Artifacts

Sale of pre-Columbian artifacts predominantly from the Barbier-Mueller collection, conducted over March 22-23 at Sotheby's in Paris, proved an anti-climactic end to a controversial story. Though estimated to bring in a total of $19 to 23 million, the sale only made $13.3 million and 165 of the 313 lots were unsold.

An unwelcome spotlight had been fixed on the sale, as four countries--Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, and Costa Rica--demanded return of artifacts that were allegedly stolen from their borders decades before. In the weeks and days leading to the sale, Peru announced that it was seeking the return of 67 objects, Guatemala made a claim for 13 objects, Mexico for 51 objects were cultural property (as reported in the Associated Press). The countries asserted that at least one third of the artifacts offered were illegally exported before 1900 and approximately half the items were from the Barbier-Mueller collection. Heavily publicized in the European media leading up to the sale, many wondered what effect the controversy would have on the sales figures.

Sotheby's attempted to put a positive spin on the outcome. Guillaume Cerutti, president of Sotheby's France, explained, "Despite having achieved less than expected, these results are good considering the context in which the sale unfolded." Additionally, Sotheby's said that the sale has still set a world record for an auction of pre-Columbian items. According to its website, the results of the sale--though significantly below the estimate--still outdid Sotheby's own recent sales of pre-Columbian works, which totaled $12.7 million collectively over the past five years.