Antiquities Coalition Joins Hudson Institute to Spotlight Illicit Finance in the U.S. Art Market
November 25, 2025
“Smart criminals launder their money with art.” — Tim Carpenter, Argus Cultural Property Consultants
On November 17, in Washington, DC, AC Executive Director Tess Davis joined the Hudson Institute for the event “Rogue Galleries: Tackling Illicit Finance in U.S. Art Markets.” The Hudson Institute, a leading public-policy think tank based in Washington, convened the Antiquities Coalition, Tim Carpenter (Argus Cultural Property Consultants), and Scott Greytak (Deputy Executive Director, Transparency International U.S.) to expose how art-market vulnerabilities threaten American consumers—and even U.S. national security.
Art is increasingly bought and sold as a financial asset, yet it isn’t protected as such under U.S. law. Guided by moderator Nate Sibley, Director of the Kleptocracy Initiative at the Hudson Institute, the speakers underscored a growing and troubling reality: criminal networks, corrupt foreign officials, and sanctioned individuals are exploiting the opacity of high-value art transactions to launder illicit wealth.
Greytak noted that while other avenues for moving dirty money have been closed in the United States, “art is still a very much open avenue.”
A bipartisan solution is now before Congress. The Art Market Integrity Act would extend the same commonsense anti–money laundering protections already applied under the Bank Secrecy Act to other high-risk industries. Extending the BSA to art will provide much-needed consumer protections, helping to prevent fraud, promote transparency, and otherwise ensure that collectors, dealers, museums, and investors can participate in the market with greater confidence.
Watch the full discussion here.
Learn more about the Art Market Integrity Act.