Mr Eskenazi, recognised as one of the most important dealers in Oriental art in the world, paid more than seven times its estimated value.

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This will be run in partnership with Qi Qi Jiang, a young Shanghai entrepreneur who combines developing her own business with studying for a doctorate in Oriental art at Oxford University.

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Chance is British and attended the University of London where he earned a BA in Archaeology and Art from the School of Oriental and African Studies.

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Check in to Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Mandarin Oriental, Miami for an Eastern spin on Art Basel.

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The American Association of Museum Art Directors, American Schools of Oriental Research and the Archaeological Institute of America have issued similar pleas to government leaders to protect Iraq's museums, monuments, cultural centers and archaeological sites.

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The whole spectrum of the art is covered at the event from vintage pin-ups to portraits and oriental imagery.

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