Tom Fudge: Last week, the prim, educated world of the American museum got a bit of a shock, and one of the shock waves reached us here in San Diego. The Mingei Museum , located in Balboa Park, was one of four California museums raided by federal authorities. They were investigating an art and antiquities smuggling ring. Investigators also raided the Los Angeles County Museum of Art , the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, and the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. The now deceased curator of the Bowers Museum, in fact, served on the board of San Diego's Mingei for 15 years.
Authorities suspect that all four of these museums came into possession of pieces that were illegally smuggled out of Southeast Asia. Thailand is said to be the source of many of the objects. Search warrants indicate that some museum staff knew they were skirting the law, while some were unaware.
Any of us who go to museums assume that the art and exhibitions we look at were acquired in a legal manner. But the law isn't always clear, and the art market is full of questionable sales and exchanges.
Guests
- Jason Felch, investigative reporter with the Los Angeles Times . He's been covering this story and other cases of looted art for many years.
- Heath Fox , assistant dean of arts and humanities at UCSD . He is a former museum administrator at the San Diego Museum of Art and the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park.
- Terressa Davis, project director at Heritage Watch and a cultural heritage law student at the University of Georgia .
- Judith Bresler , lawyer with Withers Bergman in New York and co-authored a three volume treatise on art law.
