Guidelines Established to Prevent Stolen Art Acquisitions

Interestingly enough, this post follows the one about stolen artwork.

Museums are establishing guidelines that are designed to suppress the market for looted archaeological treasures. They are encouraged to establish their own clear collections policies and require documentation that new artifacts have not been illegally exported from their countries of origin. 

Many museums are already in compliance with the guidelines, said American Association of Museum President Ford Bell. "The harder thing will be looking at existing collections, which is a big job", he said. The ownership histories of antiquities and Nazi-era artwork are perhaps the hardest to determine. 

The new guidelines do not prevent anonymous donors, but they will be required to provide all available information on the artwork or artifact. 

Sounds like a good start to me!