China probes museum art theft claims that ‘make the Louvre thieves look dumb’

The Chinese authorities are investigating reports that cultural treasures from a leading state-run museum were secretly sold on the market by museum staff in an alleged scam that has been described as making the Louvre thieves look “dumb”. The scandal first came to light when a 16th-century painting that had been donated by the family of an art collector appeared for auction earlier this year. A former director of the museum has since come under scrutiny after a former underling claimed that he...