Kuwaiti Art Mystery

Art thefts from Iraqi museums have preoccupied the art world since Saddam Hussein was toppled, but one of the most enduring mysteries is the fate of art treasures stolen by the Iraqis after they occupied Kuwait in 1990-91. Most of the art looted from Kuwait's National Museum has been recovered - but almost all Islamic art taken from wealthy Kuwaitis by the Iraqis during the occupation has vanished. The overall value is several hundred million dollars. The Islamic art taken by the Iraqi army in their ruthlessly well-organised looting operation may have been smuggled out of Iraq and sold off in the Middle East to help fund the present insurgency. One Kuwaiti has a photograph of Saddam sitting by a porcelain vase that had once adorned his home in Kuwait. The Iraqi dictator has of course been found, but the vase is still missing. The Americans went into Saddam's palaces after the war last year - and they were completely empty. For the full story - click the title Irish Art