At least one million people are expected to flock to a “once in a generation” exhibition about the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun which opens in Paris this weekend. More than 150 treasures from the boy king’s tomb — including 60 which have never left Egypt before — have been assembled for the blockbuster show. The Egyptian Ministry for Antiquities said this is the largest number of Tutankhamun artefacts ever to have left Cairo, and may never happen again. Ticket sales for “Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh” topped 130,000 last week as curators began the delicate task of installing the spectacular 3,400-year-old exhibits. Almost all come from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, and are never likely to leave the country again. Its unparalleled collection is being transferred to the enormous new Grand Egyptian Museum near the pyramids at Giza, which is due to open next year.

Asia Week New York got off to a roaring start last week, when 48 galleries, 6 auction houses–Bonhams, Christie’s, Doyle, Heritage, iGavel, and Sotheby’s and 16 museums opened their doors to collectors, curators and connoisseurs who converged in New York to get their annual eyeful of what’s on offer at the galleries and auction houses now through March 23rd. This year is extra special because Asia Week New York celebrates its 10th anniversary. To mark this milestone, a champagne reception was held in the Patron’s Lounge at The Metropolitan Museum of Art to congratulate the 10 honorees, all of whom have made significant contributions to advancing Asian art in North America. This distinguished group of honorees represents a cross section of prominent collectors, museum professionals who include Diane and Arthur Abbey, Maxwell “Mike” Hearn, Elizabeth B “Lillie” and Edward “Ned”

A 3,000-year-old carved stone tablet from Babylonia, which promises a curse on those who would destroy it, is to be flown home from Britain after being looted during the Iraq War. British Museum boss Hartwig Fischer handed over the priceless work to Iraqi Ambassador Salih Husain Ali during a ceremony on Tuesday after museum experts had verified its provenance. “It is a very important piece of Iraq’s cultural heritage,” said Fischer, praising the “extraordinary and tireless work” of border officials. They spotted the object at London’s Heathrow airport in 2012 and contacted the museum after being presented with fake documents. “They seized this item when they saw it at a British port and several years later, after a lot of legal work, we are able to effect this transfer,” said Michael Ellis, Britain’s Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism. “It’s a very important and significant moment.”