Guardian columnist Mark Vlasic talks about the recent incidents involving the smuggling of works of Egyptian art in the U.S. and the UK

Sarcophagus, seized from smugglers by the U.S. authorities
Source: online.wsj. com

Not so long ago in the U.S. three art dealers and collectors who helped them were charged with organizing a criminal network smuggling treasures of ancient Egyptian art. The ancient sarcophagi ritual vessels, and statues of limestone age about 2,000 years old crossed into U.S. territory in the boxes, which meant "antiques" and "wood panels" - so fraudsters managed to avoid the necessary procedures for customs clearance.

Egyptian Minister of Antiquities has called an open fraud "one of the largest and most severe of recent cases of smuggling." This incident has reminded the international community that the so-called "Arab renaissance" has greatly facilitated the trade in stolen objects in the global art market, and increased vigilance and and new measures are needed to ensure the safety of the world's cultural heritage.

The indictment, brought against the United States Court of Cooley Musa (Mousa Khouli), Salem Alshdayfatu (Salem Alshdaifat) and Ayman Ramadan (Ayman Ramadan ), as well as a collector Joseph Lewis (Joseph A Lewis II), stating that they have entered into a criminal conspiracy to smuggle art and money laundering. Four masked accomplices ancient artifacts under normal loads and transporting them to the United States, violating the conditions of international agreements, the U.S. customs laws and ethical standards - said in the indictment. This trial makes a closer look to the recent frequent cases of the sale of stolen works of art. According to James Hayes, Jr. (James Hayes Jr), employee of the Department of State Security USA , illegal trade in cultural property - the third volume and profitability of a segment of the black market. This market is well organized, and Egyptian artifacts - a new, growing its niche, causing serious concern.

Earlier this year, Museum of Fine Arts in St. Louis (St Louis Art Museum) was faced with claims of American and Egyptian authorities over the legality of his stay in the exposure mask Egyptian mummy Ka-Nefer-Nefer. In another recent case featured a British art dealer who was charged with charged with smuggling into the territory of the United Kingdom a sculpture of Amenhotep III. The dealer drove a figure allegedly in the guise of its plastic counterparts, and only after 10 years, managed to uncover fraud.

international community and concerned about the museum workers in favor of introducing additional checks at the organizational level and national level, in the future to prevent similar frauds. The American Museum Association (The American Association of Museums) Museums reminds you to check and publish documents proving provenance of works of art, and the European Commission is stolen art (Commission for Looted Art) insists on a strict observance of the European authorities and the letter of the law on the need for police reform.

Many government on its own initiative, take steps to combat the illicit trade in art objects. In United States, for example, police can confiscate items that were purchased in circumvention of the law. In the United States is also a crime to transport, sell or hold suspicious piece of art. The Egyptian authorities have also improved laws concerning archaeological practice and trade of antiquities: the current law, all works of art from Egyptian territory owned by the state and can not be re-exported without the consent of the authorities. However, these measures are not enough - the problem of smuggling of antiquities is due primarily to existing demand for them on the black market. If the black market for art in America and Europe did not exist, swindlers did not try to be for reasons of self-interest to take advantage of the instability of the situation in North Africa and the Middle East.

Prepared Estrova Maria, AI

Source: guardian.co . uk , artinvestment.ru