Art Pottery, Politics and Food
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
 

Atrios, this morning, linked to an article, of a type that occasionally surfaces in the global press, published today by London's Independent reporting that nearly all of the most rare and valuable artifacts plundered from the Iraqi National Museum in 2003 remain missing.
According to the Independent report, the situation in Iraq is still too dangerous for Iraq Museum staffers to begin an inventory of recovered artifacts and that these few recovered objects remain sealed in storerooms.
Additionally, the Independent states the international assistance to the Iraq Museum by UNESCO and the British Museum has stalled because of the ongoing instability of Iraq.
The American press has turned one of its many blind eyes away from the story of the Iraq cultural plunder and the likely involvement of the well-connected American Council for Cultural Policy.
The European press, except for occasional, scattered reports across the continent, has also ignored the ACCP and its wealthy membership of Ancient, Oriental and Primitive art collectors.
A recent book review in the Sunday Times of London gave a taste of the Iraq Museum looting and generally pointed fingers at the likelihood of monied and connected looters.
I’ve posted on this subject many times in this space.
Though the links can be several years old the tragic story of Iraq’s cultural rape is as fresh as today’s Independent report.
Time's passage, severed Internet links and a lazy American press provide continued security to the private collections of wealthy cultural rapists.

Related links:
April 22, 2003
April 23, 2003
October 29, 2003
May 8, 2003
June 12, 2003
June 14, 2003
April 12, 2004
April 16, 2004
February 7, 2005

Photo: Jamal Said-Reuters
- posted by Sean @ 8:28 AM
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