Antiquities, and the Museum People

True, the museum scandal of the hour - the web of curators, museums and art dealers accused of moving looted art into some of the country's greatest collections - is big news.

But the Association of American Museums is a professional service organization, not a current events club. So the sessions at today's conference that addressed the art world controversy were not particularly revealing. Veteran journalist Hodding Carter suggested how museum types could get ahead of a bad story: No stonewalling, no lying. Harold Holzer, the Metropolitan Museum of Arts head spokesguy - yes, this Harold Holzer - was generally full of praise for the reporters who cracked the J. Paul Getty Museum scandal and led to the Met's return of the famous Euphronios krater. Holzer's counterparts at the Museum of Fine Arts - Dawn Griffin and Kelly Gifford - were in the audience. Remember, MFA officials are flying to Rome in mid-May to meet with Italian officials who want to discuss items they believe were stolen and later sold or given to the Boston museum.