For me, a love of craftsmanship goes hand-in-hand with a love of history.
While I understand that museums have previously (in centuries past) built up their collections without checking the provenance, or the local laws related to the piece being moved, I do not agree with it.
For a discussion of provenance, check out the Dallas Museum of Art's page.
(For an example of how provenance can be held in too high a regard, specifically when compared with forensic science, watch Who the #$&% Is Jackson Pollock?)
Kudos to the ICOM International Observatory on Illicit Traffic in Cultural Goods, who works to educate people on how to recognize potentially valuable targets, as well as inform antiquities dealers of activities that may inadvertently support terrorist organizations.
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