The only evidence provided is highly circumstantial and geographically limited: >>Consider that when the Mexican government passed a law in the early 2010s to

The only evidence provided is highly circumstantial and geographically limited: >>Consider that when the Mexican government passed a law in the early 2010s to require more information about buyers, and how much cash could be spent on a single piece of art, the market cratered, as sales dipped 70 percent in less than a year. Much of Mexico's economy, even the legitimate markets, is controlled by cartels, so operates very differently than most economies. It might not even be the law's impediment to money laundering that caused sales to crater - it may be simply that in a country with a large outlaw faction that has thoroughly infiltrated government agencies, people with means will not want to be easily tracked/identified by attaching their identity to large purchases of luxury items.