In a small room, nicknamed “the safe” by investigators, the antiques are lined up on the shelves, well labeled. This secure room of the Central Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Cultural Goods (OCBC) is dedicated to objects seized by the art police, stolen or looted, in particular very rare works from Egypt. “In volume, it is an exceptional seizure, but in value, everything will depend on the expertise“, explains Colonel Didier Berger, head of the OCBC.
Egypt, Syria, Libya or even Iraq: the antiques come directly from conflict zones. They are called “blood antiques” and they are said to be in the hundreds to be looted and stolen. Since the start of the health crisis, these antiques have been circulating more and more on social networks. The groups dedicated to looting have thus been multiplied by three, according to specialists. The goods are then found on merchant sites and are even invited to the major European places of the art market.
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