Federal agents are searching four museums in Southern California, including the Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park, looking for possibly stolen artifacts.
Culture Lust just spoke with Rob Sidner, Director of the Mingei. & He said there were about 30 federal agents in the museum raiding the collection, searching for pieces from ancient Thailand that the IRS says were improperly donated to the museum. & These items could be looted artifacts. & Federal agents are also exploring whether appraisals for the items were inflated for improper tax deductions.
The LA Times reports four Mingei officials were interviewed by federal officials at their homes today. & Sidner would not comment on who those officials were. &
Sidner said the donations to Mingei's ancient Thailand collection come from a number of different people over the course of many years. & However, he said the search warrant refers to an item or items donated by an undercover agent to the Mingei. This agent was working undercover to expose an art smuggling network that eventually led officials to four Southern California museums: & the Mingei, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art in Santa Ana, and the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena. &
Culture Lust asked Sidner if he knew who met with the undercover agent at the time of the donation to the Mingei. & Snider responded, "If the gentlemen is who I think it is, this agent met with me but only one time." & & Throughout the investigation, the undercover agent secretly recorded conversations he held with museum officials from some of the raided museums. & Sidner said the search warrant indicates his conversation with the undercover agent was in fact recorded.
The roots of this investigation date to 2003, when the undercover agent began posing as a collector. & Two Los Angeles gallery owners were under investigation: & Robert Olson and Silk Roads Gallery owner Jonathan Markell. The LA Times reports both men allegedly admitted to selling recently looted objects and inflating appraisals. &
According to the affidavit, the Mingei accepted five ceramic vessels, along with two other pieces, in June 2006. & The undercover agent allegedly paid $1,500 to Markell, who declared a value of nearly $5,000 to the museum.
Markell allegedly sent an e-mail to Sidner claiming his piece came from a now-deceased former curator at LACMA and were all imported before Thai export restrictions took effect.
When asked about Jonathan Markell, Sidner said he and the museum have dealt with the Markells for a number of years. & He explained the Markells have donated to the museum, and the Mingei has purchased items from their gallery. & Sidner says, & ldquo;I was entirely surprised by their involvement in this. & It's a tremendous shock. & rdquo;
Sidner explains that the relationship with the Markells began through Armand Labbe, now deceased, a longtime Mingei board member and the former Director of Collections and Research at the Bowers Museum. & Sidner said Labbe & ldquo;vouched for the absolute trustworthiness of the Markells. & rdquo;
Sidner said the last dealings the Mingei had with the Markells took place just before Christmas. &
Markell is pictured with his wife and the Dalai Lama on the Silk Roads Gallery Web site. According to their bio page, both Jonathan Markell and his wife serve on the board of the South and Southeast Asian Arts Council of LACMA, which is under investigation. & Jonathan Markell was also a board member of the Southeast Asian Council of The Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, also under investigation. &
Culture Lust asked Sidner how the Mingei Museum establishes provenance. & & ldquo;Our policy is that we should receive things we believe we have a right to, & rdquo; Sidner said. & ldquo;Sometimes the provenance is clear, sometimes it's unclear, but we would never accept it if we thought it was improperly donated. & rdquo;
