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Article: Sleazy icons. (illicit Russian art trade)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- September 19, 1992
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1992 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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LIKE the illegal export of narcotics and weapons, the illegal export of works of arts is making spivs in Russia rich. Along with freelance operators, about 40 organised gangs are thought to be involved in selling icons and other treasures for hard currency to unscrupulous art dealers and collectors in the West. Works of art sold in this way have no proper provenance, which makes them dodgy to buy, sell and own. So they are being sold down at the sleazy end of the art market, at much lower prices than they would command in the international salerooms.
Under existing Russian law (which is currently under parliamentary review), it is illegal to export any work of art ...