Why Do So Many Museums Hold a Convicted Antiquity Dealer’s Treasures?
Hyperallergic reports that the Metropolitan Museum of Art repatriated a 2nd-century CE marble Roman portrait bust to the Republic of Türkiye in February after the work was linked to Phoenix Ancient Art. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said it has seized nine Phoenix-related artifacts from the Met since 2021, valued at nearly $5 million, including three loans. The article raises questions about other antiquities sold by Phoenix Ancient Art to dozens of US institutions and whether additional works may face scrutiny despite seemingly robust provenance documentation. It also recounts background on dealer Ali Aboutaam (born 1965) and earlier seizures, including 5th-century CE mosaic panels repatriated in 1999 after Canadian authorities determined they came from northwestern Syria.
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This story was covered in Museums Under Fire, Markets Back in Vogue