National Gallery caught up in international art scandal
Shiva as Nataraja statue at the National Gallery of Australia. (ABC News)
The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) is talking to the Indian High Commission, after a New York-based art dealer was arrested for allegedly trafficking antiques.
The gallery says it is one of 18 major international art institutions that have acquired works of art through Subhash Kapoor.
In 2008, the gallery says it purchased the statue, known as 'Shiva as Nataraja, Lord of the Dance' from Mr Kapoor.
Other institutions which may have been affected include the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Smithsonian's Freer and Sackler Galleries in Washington DC and the Art Institute of Chicago.
The NGA says it followed a thorough due diligence process regarding the quality, provenance and time of its departure from India.
In a statement the gallery says it is yet to be determined if this work is one that has been stolen.
The gallery says it has not been contacted by Indian Police or any other authority about the matter.
The NGA has begun its own investigation into the acquisition and the paperwork.