NewsStolen art
Samsung partners with art crime expert to hunt for world's missing masterpieces
Works by Monet, Van Gogh and Cézanne, which were stolen in dramatic art heists, are available to view online
NewsGustav Klimt
Stolen Klimt painting—buried for 20 years—to go back on show at Italian museum
Discovered by the gardener at the Ricci Oddi gallery last year, Portrait of a Lady will be the star of a series of exhibitions on the much-loved artist
NewsArt crime
Criminal claims 13 works from legendary Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist are hidden in a Dublin house
BBC4 documentary—released today—unpicks theory that the stolen art was shipped to Ireland
AnalysisArt theft
Steal and repeat: why art gets stolen time and again
When works of art are taken multiple times, it is often more about criminal prestige or bargaining chips for reducing prison sentences
NewsFrans Hals
Frans Hals painting stolen from Dutch museum for the third time
Two Laughing Boys with a Mug of Beer was taken in previous heists with a work by Jacob van Ruisdael
NewsArt theft
Asian art museum located in Israeli kibbutz targeted by thieves
14th-century Buddha and Tang Dynasty sculpture among 27 works stolen by masked burglars from Wilfrid Israel Museum of Asian Art on Tuesday night
BlogAdventures with Van Gogh
Van Gogh held hostage: private detective tells us he has more photographs
Will Arthur Brand’s images of the stolen painting lead to a recovery?
NewsArt market
Trial of Paris gallery over stolen Picasso works delayed until next year due to coronavirus court backlog
A handyman allegedly stole works on paper from the artist’s stepdaughter over three years, before they were discovered in the possession of the owner of Belle et Belle gallery
BlogAdventures with Van Gogh
In recent decades 28 Van Goghs have been stolen in the Netherlands—but all have been recovered
Detectives are intensifying their investigation into the latest crime, at Laren’s Singer museum, which was committed this week on the artist’s birthday
AnalysisArt theft
Boomerang art thefts: the stolen art that finds its way back
From a Van Gogh left in a public toilet to a Klimt found inside a gallery wall, just what is it that prompts criminals to return such valuable works?
NewsArt theft
Birthday heist: Van Gogh painting stolen from Dutch museum on anniversary of artist's birth
The Singer Laren museum in the Netherlands is currently on lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic
NewsArt theft
Three paintings—including valuable Van Dyck portrait—stolen from Oxford University gallery
London-based Old Masters dealer says that the works are “an unusual group to steal—neither priceless nor small fry”
NewsArt theft
Green Vault guards under investigation in Dresden jewel heist inquiry
Two are suspected of tampering with the alarm system; two more, on duty during the theft, are accused of an inadequate response
NewsArt crime
Suspect list in stolen Klimt saga grows
A woman connected to the museum where the painting was found is under investigation by the Italian police
NewsArt theft
Five Old Masters return to German castle 40 years after theft
The paintings, including works by Holbein and Hals, were smuggled across the Iron Curtain in the 1980s and recovered in a secret operation last year
NewsArt crime
Why do courts lack conviction in art cases?
Collapse of Bulmer theft case is just the latest in string of failed art-related convictions
AnalysisThe Year in Review 2019
King Tut’s golden year, Koons’s worst: the highs and lows of the art world in 2019
As Notre Dame burned, protestors called the shots and a gold toilet vanished, it was certainly a year to remember
NewsArt theft
Rembrandt paintings targeted by thieves at Dulwich Picture Gallery belonged to Louvre and National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC
Attempted robbery was thwarted by police
NewsCrime
Attempted robbery of Rembrandt paintings at Dulwich Picture Gallery
Theft of two paintings was thwarted thanks to gallery's security staff and systems
NewsArt crime
Man who stole painting in broad daylight from Moscow museum is sentenced to three years in prison
Denis Chuprikov took the landscape from State Tretyakov Gallery with the aim of "causing hype", he says
NewsArt theft
'I wish it was a prank': Maurizio Cattelan on the surreal theft of his golden toilet
Man arrested after 18-carat lavatory was forcibly removed from Blenheim Palace
NewsArt crime
Art Recovery International calls on Icom to step in and investigate 'stolen' Reynolds painting on show in Japan
The portrait was allegedly stolen from the home of a menswear magnate in 1984
NewsMuseums & Heritage
A mystery for the ages: the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist
The world’s greatest unsolved art theft continues to obsess—and stump—investigators
NewsArt theft
Votive paintings smuggled out of Mexico return to public view at Los Pinos presidential palace
The former government residence turned museum will host its first art exhibition
NewsPablo Picasso
Picasso painting of Dora Maar recovered by ‘Indiana Jones of the art world’
The €25m work was stolen 20 years ago from a yacht on the French Riviera
NewsConservation & Preservation
Stolen in 1985, a recovered de Kooning will undergo conservation treatment
University of Arizona Museum of Art will send its painting, damaged by the thief, to the Getty
NewsArt theft
Serial art thief Stéphane Breitwieser arrested—again
Having served a six-year jail sentence, he came under suspicion again after offering a 19th-century paperweight on eBay
NewsArt theft
Thief of Crimean painting at State Tretyakov Gallery apprehended
Brazen incident raises questions about museum security in Russia
FeatureLost art
Lost art: Has Caravaggio’s long missing Nativity been found?
Noah Charney on the Carabinieri's efforts to track down the stolen painting
NewsArt theft
Banksy print snatched from Toronto show
The work Trolley Hunters went missing during the set up for the ‘unauthorised’ exhibition
NewsArt theft
Did stolen Caravaggio go to Switzerland?
Mafia informant claims the painting, which is included in the FBI’s list of top ten art crimes, was sold to a Swiss dealer
NewsArt theft
Indian jewels owned by Qatari sheikh stolen from Venice exhibition
Brooch and earrings removed during the day from a reinforced display case
NewsThefts
Thief walks out of Paris gallery with Botero’s Maternity statue
Galerie Bartoux staff discovered €425,000 bronze missing at closing time
ArchiveMuseums
Australia's ill-advised purchase of Indian artefact
The National Gallery of Australia bought the Shiva statue despite uncertainty over its provenance
ArchiveRotterdam
Thieves foil high-tech security at Kunsthal Rotterdam
Seven works were stolen as unmanned overnight protection fails
ArchiveTate
Thirty-year wait for Turner catalogue almost over?
The Tate says all detailed entries will be available online by 2014, but critics fear loss of scholarship
ArchiveArt theft
Sandy Nairne and his life as an undercover negotiator: The ethics of retrieving Tate's Turners
The National Portrait Gallery director had a sensitive, secret role in recovering the stolen paintings
ArchiveZahi Hawass
Return to power: Zahi Hawass reappointed
Hawass originally resigned due to accusations of illegal activities and military guard ceasing at archeological sites
ArchiveLeonardo da Vinci
Jury clears Britons of Da Vinci theft extortion
Three lawyers and two private detectives are now off the hook
ArchiveMuseums
Grosz heirs vs MoMA case dismissed
MoMA maintains that the Grosz works were never Nazi loot
ArchiveNews
Warhol’s famous athlete portraits stolen from collector Richard Weisman's home
A $1m reward is being offered
ArchiveArt theft
Why has the Tate still not claimed for its stolen Freud?
Although it was covered by British government indemnity, the painting’s value remains unclaimed since its 1988 theft
ArchiveArt theft
Indonesian antiquities thefts show no sign of abating
Fakes left in place of stolen artefacts in elaborate webs of deceit
ArchiveNews
Collector Richard Weisman calls off the hunt for stolen Warhols
Owner cancels reward for his missing set, citing problems with his insurer
ArchiveLeonardo da Vinci
Hermitage Leonardo bust taken hostage in restorer's cash dispute
The kidnapped statue has now been returned to the museum
ArchiveArt market
Martin Lawrence Galleries files suit to claim stolen Warhol
Jason Beltrez claims it was a flea market find while Christie's is stuck in the middle
ArchiveVictoria & Albert Museum
John Linnell painting stolen in daylight robbery at the V&A
ary Doyle pleaded guilty at Blackfriars Crown Court
ArchiveLeonardo da Vinci
Buccleuch family Leonardo found
Ninth Duke did not live to see his painting returned
ArchiveVictoria & Albert Museum
London: Stolen and recovered by the V&A
William Etty painting recovered a week after theft
ArchiveDiscoveries
Stolen art discovered in reclusive collector’s estate
Christie’s and the Stair Galleries both cancelled sales as a result
ArchiveArt market
Warring New York dealers guilty of tax evasion
Court orders Helen Fioratti and James Sansum to repay huge sums
ArchiveArt theft
US colonel to lead antiquities anti-theft unit
Bogdanos attacks “cozy cabal of academics, dealers and collectors” who ignore provenance
ArchiveArt market
Appeal over Peter Brant ownership of Warhol
Ms Lindholm has been attempting to regain Warhol's Red Elvis since 2000
ArchiveArt market
Court finds Peter Brant really does own Warhol’s Red Elvis
The decision ends a dispute that started in 2000
ArchiveZahi Hawass
“Modern man is the true curse of Egypt”: Zahi Hawass is responsible for all archaeological sites in Egypt
Hawass discusses about his latest projects
ArchiveVictoria & Albert Museum
Third theft at V&A forces closure of 38 rooms
In the latest incident, eight Italian Renaissance plaquettes worth £500,000 were taken
ArchiveArt theft
John Dee’s crystal among a spate of London museum thefts
The V&A, the British Museum and Science Museum have all been targets
ArchiveArt theft
V&A appeals for help to find stolen jade
Missing objects valued at £60,000
ArchiveUSA
US Customs art squad reassigned to war on terror
The agents who had investigated stolen art will now work on cases related to terrorism and fraud
ArchiveTate
Tate asks permission to spend £15 million from stolen Turner paintings
The windfall from Tate's insurance claim may shortly be spent
ArchiveLeonardo da Vinci
£100,000 reward for Leonardo’s Madonna stolen in Scotland
The Duke of Buccleuch's disputed masterpiece has yet to be found
ArchiveLooted art
Johnny Eskenazi on the cultural casualties of the Afghan war: An evening with Kalashnikovs and the Begram ivories
In 1996, the art dealer and scholar was taken secretly to the house of a Pakistani politician where he saw one of the greatest treasures from the Kabul Museum
ArchiveLooted art
Art dealer Adam Williams found guilty after 11 years of litigation
Williams will not appeal French court decision, citing health reasons
ArchiveFrancis Bacon
Freud ramps up efforts to find Bacon portrait stolen in Berlin
A poster campaign has been launched to recover the work which disappeared from the Neue Nationalgalerie
ArchiveJ.M.W. Turner
Fakes of stolen Tate Turners surface
Frankfurt thefts still not recovered
ArchiveArt theft
Thefts from UK national museums. Question in Parliament uncovers extensive losses
13 paintings from the National Maritime Museum, a £100,000 chest from the British Museum, and a Burne-Jones panel from the V&A are some of the items stolen
ArchiveLooted art
Art and archaeology falls casualty to the Chechen war
The collections of two museums in Grozny have disappeared and the region’s distinctive stone towers are caught in the crossfire
ArchiveArt theft
Christie's remove volumes from October sale to investigate links to Jagiellonian Library theft
Of the fifty one books that were stolen, nineteen have been recovered
ArchiveInterviews
Interview with Guita Abidari on the Art Loss Register
Their director of marketing talks on the database against crime
ArchiveJ.M.W. Turner
Tate Turner thieves convicted
Unrecovered paintings stolen in Frankfurt, 1994.
ArchiveMuseums & Heritage
Thefts from V&A and Courtauld Gallery
Two Constables and three small paintings discovered to be missing from storage
ArchiveTate
Insurance payouts for the Tate as Turners remain missing
Following thefts, Tate receives funds to repurchase works stolen in Frankfurt
ArchiveLooted art
Florentine seizure of war-theft paintings on loan from New Zealand
It is alleged that they were stolen from the collection of Cino Vitta, head of the Jewish community in Florence during the war
ArchiveLooting
Works of art vanish from Kinshasa
The change of regime in the Democratic Republic of Congo coincided with thefts from the Institut des Musées Nationaux
ArchiveUnidroit Convention
The arguments for and against Unidroit
Our second Art Law Supplement examines cultural property export regulations; the legal loopholes in their international enforcement and the latest proposed solution: the controversial 1995 Unidroit Convention on Stolen and Illegally Exported Cultural Objects. We also deal with art and artists on the edge of society, in articles on censorship and the creations of the mentally ill
ArchiveNews
Texas war booty charge thrown out of court
Technicality spares the sellers of the Quedlinburg treasure
ArchiveArt theft
Art theft: Olé, oy vey!
Fake rabbis rob Spanish monastery
ArchiveArt market
Christie’s to auction unclaimed works of art confiscated from Austrian Jews by the Nazis
8,000 works stored for over forty years in the medieval monastery at Mauerbach
ArchiveNews
War loot funded Quedlinburg GI’s double lifestyle
Former acquaintances in Dallas’s gay scene report war booty on show in his apartment
ArchiveAntiquities & Archaeology
Don’t just berate the thieves: look at the museums and excavators too
In the last of our series which publishes talks given in London this summer, Professor Sir John Boardman, Lincoln Professor Emeritus of classical archaeology and art at Oxford, singles out three areas for concern.
ArchiveJan van Eyck
Seeking out Van Eyck's "The Just Judges" altarpiece
Next month the Belgian city of Ghent is mounting a high-tech search for a panel of Van Eyck's masterpiece missing since 1934
ArchiveRestitution
Looking at the findings of the “Spoils of War” conference
The meeting produced revelations, but little hope that the return of looted art will be eased
ArchiveScotland Yard
Britain's Art and Antiques Squad harnesses the latest image technology to aid crime solving
Scotland Yard launches computer system with international potential
ArchiveCzech Republic
East meets West in Prague — but the gulf tells
Conference in Prague on public galleries and private collectors hears of thefts and restitution claims in Eastern museums
ArchiveVictoria & Albert Museum
Miniature altar destroyed by thieves at the V&A
Grab and smash operation on 11 November
ArchiveLooting
Looted art publicly acknowledged by Soviet Minister of Culture
A commission will be set up at Gorbachev’s behest to look into cultural property removed to U.S.S.R.
ArchiveCambodia
The Art Newspaper brings an update on Angkor Wat situation and what is being done to preserve its treasures and history
Conservation projects are urgently needed, however hope is found underneath the Phnom Penh museum
ArchiveArt theft
Pork-trading, Bob-Marley fan caught red-handed with stolen Italian masterpieces
The reluctant collector: “The ugliest things I ever did see....only good for chasing away ghosts”
ArchiveArt theft
Theft of the Soviet Union's largest private collection of Western European and Russian art
Soviet collectors appeal for protection from KGB
CommentArt crime
Don't let your guard down: three things you can do now to protect your art during the pandemic
With sparse personnel and visitors, some criminals will try to see if the “closed” sign actually means “open”, say K2 Intelligence FIN's art crime experts
Jordan Arnold and James Wynne