from The Art Newspaper
A moment of truth for all in the antiquities field
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A timely article to keep the debate on antiquities trade in view. Museums, as much as collectors, can often collude (unintentionally or otherwise) in what has been universally declared as illegal under the 1970 UNESCO convention on cultural properties.

The suggestion is to deal with the problem on 2 fronts - one, to strengthen the commitment of museums to decline cultural artefacts with undocumented provenance, even as gifts; and, two, to consider allowing the legitimate public and private acquisition of (duplicate or similar) archaeological finds from documented source. The success of these efforts would depend largely on a strong recognition of reality and the right thing to do - as consumers and purveyors of cultural heritage products.