The idea of art smuggling and looting conjures up images of shady back-room deals and night-time raids on archaeological sites. But what many don't know is that these questionable pieces can often end up in reputable museums.

Dealing with art acquired by unethical methods is a problem all museums and galleries must deal with, says University of Missouri Anthropology Professor Deborah M. Pearsall.

Harvard's own art museums are no exception.

The Sackler Museum, which displays works from Asia, Africa and North America, has come under fire for its acquisition of ambiguously documented artifacts.

Several pieces in a 1996 exhibit, "Large Classical Bronzes from North American Collections," and Greek vase fragments in a 1995 exhibit are undocumented, and came from dealers who have previously traded in objects illegally excavated or imported.

Although Harvard University Art Museums (HUAM), the umbrella organization of all of Harvard's museums, has a long-standing policy regulating the acquisition of undocumented art, curators disagree on the proper interpretation of that policy.

Set in 1971, HUAM's policy stipulates that the person in charge of a given exhibit, its curator, "should have reasonable assurance under the circumstances that the object has not...been exported from its country of origin (and/or the country where it was last legally owned) in violation of that country's laws."

It is the "reasonable assurance" clause that has triggered controversy.

"The complaints about the [Sackler] are that although the policy itself is a vigorous one, it has been interpreted quite liberally," says Boardman Professor of Fine Arts Irene J. Winter, who lodged a formal complaint against the 1996 exhibit on bronzes.

The British Museum has also questioned HUAM's acquisition of an Anglo-Roman head displayed in the same exhibit because of the piece's questionable origins. However, the British Museum has not taken formal action in the matter.

"Every object should be subject to scrutiny before the fact, and it should be able to be demonstrated that it is not problematic," Winter says. "I'm asking for a more rigorous active policy."

"I strongly believe the costs far exceed the benefits of exhibiting such pieces," she said in the complaint.

However, Cabot Director of HUAM James B. Cuno sees the matter in a different light.

"We do not require what's called full documentation," he says, noting that under the policy, HUAM curators are only required to seek "reasonable assurance" that a piece being considered for exhibition is not looted.

Distinguishing between the looted pieces and the legitimate pieces of art is not an easy matter, Cuno notes.