New York’s Asia Week (10-19 March) was unfortunately dominated by a string of antiquities seizures, some linked to the dealer Subhash Kapoor. Kapoor is on trial in India for smuggling thousands of antiquities out of that country, a charge he denies. A Gandharan Bodhisattva head and two Indian sandstone sculptures were confiscated by US federal agents ahead of auction, while an Afghan sculpture was seized from a New York gallery. According to a statement released by investigators: “With Asia Week in New York… [customs officials] have been on the lookout for shipments coming in from shippers and sources that might be trying to exploit our border controls.”
