Kim Kardashian West has an extraordinary superpower: Her fame allows her to solve crimes simply by posing next to evidence. That was exactly the case in an unbelievable art caper involving New York’s Metropolitan Museum, sketchy dealers, an Egyptian coffin with golden decorations, and a photo of Kardashian West unearthed by historian Ben Lewis on his podcast Art Bust.
At the 2018 Met Gala, Kim Kardashian West donned a beautiful gold dress. Coinciding with her appearance was one of the Met’s highest-profile exhibits: Nedjemankh’s coffin from 1st Century BC which they recently acquired for $4 Million dollars. Needless to say, this photo struck a chord and went viral!
So this is where things take a strange turn.
Unpaid Labor Its Photographers (and writers) frequently have to contend with late payments and unpaid invoices, just as looters do.
The photo of Kardashian West with the coffin went viral worldwide. When one of the looters who dug it from its tomb in Egypt saw it, one recognized it from 2011, seven years earlier, but hadn’t received payment so sent an anonymous tip-off to an informant “in the Middle East”.
One week or two after the Met Gala, an informant provided this photo to Matthew Bogdanos, an Assistant District Attorney from Manhattan who heads up their antiquities trafficking unit. It provided them with the break in their ongoing case that had spanned five years.
(If I could bring down the DA on those who owe me, I’d take it!)
How Did the Coffin Arrive at The Met The coffin’s journey to The Met was complex. For an in-depth explanation, listen to Lewis’ podcast or read his write up in The Times; otherwise here is the bulleted version:
The coffin was looted from its location in Minya during Egypt’s 2011 revolution by thieves, who dug it up and dumped its contents – mummified remains of Nedjemankh – into the Nile before selling or giving away its contents for profit.
In 2013, this artifact was secretly removed from an Egyptian port (most likely Alexandria) via illegal means and sent directly to United Arab Emirates, where it eventually came under Hassan Fazeli, an art dealer.
Fazeli then created a fake export certificate claiming the coffin to be of Greco-Roman origin and sent it via FedEx to Europe.
Roben Dib, manager of the Dionysos Gallery in Hamberg, Germany was eventually in possession of it and restored it, while according to reports in The Times forging an Egyptian export license showing it had been exported legally (despite UNESCO World Heritage Convention restrictions preventing this). Dib then faked an Egyptian export license showing it had been legal exported after 1971 (unesco World Heritage Convention restrictions prohibited the exportation of cultural heritage at that time).
The coffin was then sent to “French antiquities scholar and dealer Christophe Kunicki and Richard Semper,” who offered it to Diana Patch, the Met’s curator for Egyptian art. Under her recommendation, the Met spent $4 Million dollars purchasing it.
How things stand now
Though Bogdanos’ grand jury investigation remains in progress, its effects have already had international ramifications.
French authorities have arrested and charged Kunicki and Semper. Dib was detained by German authorities, although it’s unknown if any charges will be leveled against him. Additionally, the Met has submitted the coffin back to Egypt where it will be displayed at Cairo’s new Egyptian Museum.
Photos Can Go Far
While this might all seem like an amusing diversion, it does serve to demonstrate how sharing photos online can have unintended repercussions. Many areas around the world are currently suffering from Instagram-driven overtourism for similar reasons. One takeaway from this article should be remembering that once an image has been uploaded onto the Internet it is no longer entirely in your control and it cannot be protected against further misuse or alteration.
Stay far away from any evidence against Kim Kardashian West that might incriminate her, such as social media posts from people supporting or opposing her.
