From China to India to Iranian lands and the Arab Middle East, a new mood is prompting states to make a greater effort to stop works of art from being illicitly exported. A Fars statuette (photo Hughes Dubois)

At Kaikodo's, a New York gallery, two stucco figures of a male and female attendant represented a late- 13th-century school of sculpture known from excavations carried out in Henan Province in 1988. (photo John Bigelow Taylor)

The ultimate museum rarity in Chinese art was displayed by Knapton & Rasti of London in their show at the Alexander Gallery. The Buddhist ivory figure of Guanyin, 25.4 centimeters, or 10 inches, high, is datable to the 11th century. (photo Sotheby's)

A few vessels from late-12th-century Iran could be seen on the stand of a newcomer, Phoenix, which straddles the Atlantic with one gallery in New York and another in Geneva. A spout vase (photo Stefan Hagen)

In the show mounted jointly by the "London Gallery" of Tokyo and Izzard on his premises at 17th East 76th Street, a wooden female figure carved under the Heian dynasty, probably in the 12th century, was sold at the opening on March 20. The asking price was $150,000. (photo London Gallery)

In a few years, great sculpture of this caliber will become irresistible to new Japanese buyers. Looking back, collectors the world over will wonder how they could let such opportunities slip by. A statue of one of the Four Guardian Kings from the Heian period (photo London Gallery Ltd. Tokyo)

NEW YORK: A vast heritage recovery operation is under way across Asia. Its impact could be felt across the market during the Asia Week that began on March 18 and continues in art galleries. From China to India to Iranian lands and the Arab Middle East, a new mood is prompting states to make a greater effort to stop works of art from being illicitly exported. It is also driving buyers to acquire those that belong to their culture with fierce determination. Lire la suite de l'article de Souren Melikian http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/29/arts/melik31.php