The U.S. Embassy in Paris, France, is asking the Néret-Minet auction house to let the Hopi Tribe examine cultural items that are going on sale later this week.

The auction has drawn considerable controversy. Philip J. Breeden, the Embassy's cultural affairs minister, said a delay is necessary.

“Given the ancestry of these masks and the distance between Paris and the Hopi reservation, requesting a delay seems reasonable to allow for a complete examination of the situation," Breeden wrote in a letter to the auction house, The New York Times reported.

The auction house replied that the sale will go on as planned.

Get the Story:
Arts Beat: U.S. Diplomat Asks Auction House to Delay Sale of Hopi Items (The New York Times 4/8)

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