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The Pauley Center of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, in Richmond, Virginia. Photo by Morgan Riley, Midlothian, Va., licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

Arrest prompts Richmond museum to review artifacts

Catherine Saunders-Watson
Catherine Saunders-Watson
The Pauley Center of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, in Richmond, Virginia. Photo by Morgan Riley, Midlothian, Va., licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
The Pauley Center of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, in Richmond, Virginia. Photo by Morgan Riley, Midlothian, Va., licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Virginia Museum of Fine Arts officials have examined the ownership history of eight artifacts on loan from a Chesterfield County businessman charged in a scheme to smuggle Egyptian antiquities.

The director of the Richmond museum, Alex Nyerges, says it appears the artifacts were legitimately purchased by Joseph A. Lewis II and that the museum made the right decision in accepting the pieces for display.

Lewis, the president and CEO of Pharma Management Corp., was one of several people indicted earlier this month for allegedly participating in an international smuggling ring. Nyerges tells the Richmond Times-Dispatch that Lewis’s arrest came as a surprise. He describes Lewis as a “charming fellow” and a conscientious collector.

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Information from: Richmond Times-Dispatch, http://www.timesdispatch.com

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

The Pauley Center of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, in Richmond, Virginia. Photo by Morgan Riley, Midlothian, Va., licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
The Pauley Center of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, in Richmond, Virginia. Photo by Morgan Riley, Midlothian, Va., licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.