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Tuesday, 16 December 2014 12:43

Uzbekistan State Art Museum Employees Sold Original Paintings and Replaced them with Fakes

The Uzbekistan State Art Museum. The Uzbekistan State Art Museum. Wikimedia Commons

A brazen art crime has been uncovered in Uzbekistan. As the "Guardian" initially reported, several employees from the Uzbek State Art Museum have been found guilty of systematically selling original artworks and replacing them with fakes over a 15 year period.

Mifayz Usmanov, the chief curator of the central Asian country's premier art museum, was sentenced to nine years behind bars for his involvement in the daylight robbery. Two restorers were sentenced to eight years each.

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