Art Crime Archives – Daily Art Fixx

Five Audacious Art Thefts

September 17, 2012 By Wendy Campbell

By guest author Tony Gibbs

Over the years there have been many priceless pieces of art taken from their galleries. Some have been victims to the most organized planning and execution while other thefts have been far more open and direct. Here is a list of five audacious art thefts throughout history.

1. Cartel de Don Juan Tenorio by Salvador Dali

In June 2012, on a sunny Tuesday afternoon, a man walked into the Venus Over Manhattan Gallery in New York. He looked like any other visitor; casually dressed and with no form of disguise whatsoever. However, unlike all the other visitors to the gallery that day, he left with more than just a few postcards from the gift shop. Armed with just a black shopping bag, he stole a drawing by Salvador Dali entitled, “Cartel de Don Juan Tenorio,” and disappeared once again into the Manhattan daylight.

At the time, Adam Lindemann, the owner of the drawing said that he was saddened, and ironically described the theft of a Dali work as ‘quite surreal’. Happily for Mr Lindemann, the drawing was sent by mail from Europe to New York a week later and successfully intercepted by the US Postal Service. http://www.inquisitr.com/260669/salvador-dali-painting-stolen-cartel-de-don-juan-tenorio/

2. The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

It’s difficult to imagine a higher profile target for the art thief than the Mona Lisa but just over 100 years ago, the iconic painting was indeed taken from its Paris home.

The criminal in question, Vincenzo Peruggia was an Italian national who was employed by the Louvre. One night in August 1911, he stayed behind and hid in the building. The next morning, he managed to persuade a plumber to let him out – together with the Mona Lisa which wasn’t seen for another two years.

Bizarrely, Pablo Picasso was one of those questioned over the theft but upon his arrest, Peruggia said that he was merely trying to reclaim the painting for his homeland. http://news.discovery.com/history/fingerprints-mona-lisa-peruggia-110819.html

3. The Scream by Edvard Munch

There is more than one version of Edvard Munch’s The Scream in circulation but the instantly recognizable image and immense value makes each painting a desirable target for thieves. In 2004 at Oslo’s Munch Museum a gang of thieves entered in broad daylight and threatened staff with handguns. In a short space of time, they had stolen The Scream and taken Munch’s ‘Madonna’ for good measure.

Both pieces were recovered in 2006 by which time they had been damaged but a more daring theft had occurred ten years’ earlier. On this occasion, while Norway was distracted by the Opening Ceremony at the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, four men climbed a ladder and broke a window at the National Gallery in Oslo. In less than a minute they had taken the Scream but they did leave a note which read, “thanks for the poor security.” The painting was recovered undamaged in 2004 after a sting operation involving the Norwegian police, the British police, and the Getty Museum. http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2007/feb/17/art.arttheft (wiki)

4. Madonna of the Yarnwinder by Leonardo da Vinci

As we’ve seen with the theft of the Mona Lisa, working inside a gallery gives a thief unique access but one set of thieves took a far simpler route by joining a tour party. In 2003, two men tagged along to witness an art collection housed at a Scottish castle owned by the 9th Duke of Buccleuch. At the end of the tour, they overpowered a female security guard before making off with Da Vinci’s The Madonna of the Yarnwinder. The frame was dumped shortly afterwards but it took another four years before the painting itself was recovered in a Glasgow Solicitor’s Office. Several men were subsequently charged in connection with the theft. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1565071/Four-held-as-stolen-da-Vinci-painting-found.html

5. Storm on the Sea of Galilee

The art theft proclaimed as the world’s biggest was no less audacious as two men entered the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in March 1990 dressed as police officers in the early hours of the morning. The men overpowered the two security guards on duty that day making off with Rembrandt’s Storm on the Sea of Galilee and 12 other works of art. “The stolen artworks have not yet been returned to the museum. However, the investigation remains an open, active case and leads are investigated by the museum and the FBI. Some media estimates have put the value of the stolen artworks at as much as $500 million, making the theft the largest single property theft in recorded history. An offer of a reward from the Gardner Museum of up to $5 million for information leading to the recovery of the stolen artwork remains open.” http://www.gardnermuseum.org/resources/theft, wiki

This post was written by Tony Gibbs of Macbeth Insurance Brokers who offer fine art and antique insurance amongst other commercial policies. Follow them on Twitter @MacbethInsure.

Art-e-Facts: 5 Random Art Facts – XVII

January 13, 2011 By Wendy Campbell

1. “Art for art’s sake” is the English version of a French slogan, from the early 19th century, ”l’art pour l’art” , and expresses a philosophy that the intrinsic value of art, and the only “true” art, is divorced from any didactic, moral or utilitarian function. “The term is credited to Théophile Gautier (1811–1872). Such works are sometimes described as “autotelic”, from the Greek autoteles, “complete in itself”, a concept that has been expanded to embrace “inner-directed” or “self-motivated” human beings. A Latin version of this phrase, “Ars gratia artis”, is used as a slogan by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and appears in the circle around the roaring head of Leo the Lion in their motion picture logo. (Wikipedia)

2. Verism is the artistic preference of contemporary everyday subject matter instead of the heroic or legendary in art and literature; a form of realism. The word comes from Latin verus (true). Verism was often used by the Romans in marble sculptures of heads. Often described as “warts and all”, verism shows the imperfections of the subject, such as warts, wrinkles and furrows. (Wikipedia)

3. For decades, the Saturday Evening Post distinguished itself through its cover artwork. The most famous are by Norman Rockwell who created a total of 322 original covers for The Saturday Evening Post over 47 years. J.C. Leyendecker created over 320 covers, the most well known are his “New Year’s Baby” series which ran every year from 1908 to 1943.

4. In 2010, Picasso’s, Nude, Green Leaves and Bust sold for $106.5 million US to an anonymous buyer, setting a record for the sale of any work at auction. One of a series of highly prized, intimate portraits Picasso painted in 1932 of his lover, Marie-Thérèse Walter. (DAF)

5. Italy has by far the most art crime, with approximately 20,000 art thefts reported each year. Russia has the second most, with approximately 2000 art thefts reported per year. Italy’s government takes art crime very seriously and its Carabinieri are by far the most successful art squad worldwide, employing over 300 agents full time. (ARCA)

Month In Review: August 2009 Art News

August 31, 2009 By Wendy Campbell

ART CRIME:

Picasso Seized in Iraq Appears to Be Fake: “Authorities in the art world cast doubt Thursday on the authenticity of an alleged Picasso painting that was seized by Iraqi police south of Baghdad. A painting called “The Naked Woman” that police claimed was painted by Picasso was seized near the southern city of Hillah on Tuesday after the man allegedly tried to sell it for $450,000.” Read Associated Press article.

Forthcoming Frida Kahlo Book Denounced as Fake: “A collection of Frida Kahlo oil paintings, diaries and archival material that is the subject of a book to be published by Princeton Architectural Press on 1 November has been denounced by scholars as a cache of fakes.” Read Art Newspaper article.

Woman Attacks Mona Lisa: “A Russian tourist sparked a security alert when she threw a mug at the Mona Lisa, the world’s best-known painting…Screams erupted from the 40-odd tourists jostling for position around Leonardo da Vinci’s enigmatic painted lady when the empty terracotta mug flew over their heads and smashed into the portrait.” Read Telegraph article

ART MARKET:

Michael Jackson Portrait by Warhol Fetches $1 Million: “A portrait of Michael Jackson that sold for $278,500 on May 13 at Sotheby’s has found a new owner, who this time around paid over $1 million dollars for the piece. The 1984 portrait by Andy Warhol was offered for auction by Vered Gallery in New York’s East Hampton.” Read Bloomberg article.

Aboriginal Busts Withdrawn From Auction: “Two artworks depicting the busts of 19th-century Aboriginal leaders Truganini and Woureddy have been pulled from an auction at Sotheby’s in Australia. The proposed sale was protested by aboriginal leaders who implored the sellers to return the works to the Indigenous community, which they say is hurt by the use of the images and the intent to use them to make money.” Read ABC News article.

ARTISTS:

New Technique Reveals Van Gogh Portrait Of A Women Behind Another Painting: “Vincent van Gogh often painted over his older works. Experts estimate that about one third of his early paintings conceal other compositions under them. A new technique, based on synchrotron radiation induced X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, reveals this type of hidden painting.” Read Science Daily article.

Daniel Richter Leads Massive Artist Protest in Hamburg: “Almost 200 artists, under the leadership of prominent German artist Daniel Richter, occupied a dozen long-empty, deteriorating buildings in Hamburg’s historic Gängeviertel district that have been marked for demolition, setting up artist studios and galleries. The protest… was meant to call attention to the lack of subsidized workspaces for artists in Hamburg.” Read Art Info article.

MISCELLANEOUS:

Obama “Joker” Image Has Short Life on Flickr: “After a Chicago student gained national fame for editing a picture of President Obama in the image of the Joker villain from “The Dark Knight” and posting it to Flickr, some of the focus, especially among the tech community, quickly shifted to Flickr for removing the image.” Read LA Times Article.

Chaos and censorship at Beijing’s inaugural 798 Biennale: “Opening days mired by repression of Chinese artists, but international contributions unscathed The inaugural Beijing 798 Biennale, held in the sprawling 798 art district in China’s capital, saw a chaotic opening on 15 August, with major works by Chinese artists widely censored by authorities.” Read Art Newspaper article.

PASSINGS:

Hyman Bloom: August 26, 2009 – “Boston painter considered a maverick but key figure in the art world, died Wednesday in Nashua. He was 96 – old enough, and independent enough, that his art had already gone in and out of fashion several times.” Read Boston.com article.

Month In Review: July 2009 Art News

July 31, 2009 By Wendy Campbell

In my continuing quest to keep on top of all things in the visual arts, starting this month, I will post an end of month review of art news that I found particularly interesting. So, without further ado, here are ten of July’s top stories.

ART CRIME:

Dutch Arts Official On The Lam After Embezzling Millions: “The former head of finance for the Dutch Foundation for Visual Arts, Design and Architecture (BKVB), is the subject of an international police hunt after the discovery that he had siphoned around €15.5m from the organisation’s accounts.” Read The Art Newspaper. article.

Gallery in Wikipedia Legal Threat: “The National Portrait Gallery is threatening legal action after 3,300 images from its website were uploaded to online encyclopaedia Wikipedia. A contributor to the popular site, Derrick Coetzee, breached English copyright laws by posting images from the gallery’s collection, the NPG said”. Read BBC article.

ARTISTS:

Damien Hirst Designs Lance Armstrong’s Tour Bike: “Lance Armstrong may make at least $4 million for charity by selling the Damien Hirst-decorated bike he’ll use to complete the Tour de France at the weekend, as well as works given by Richard Prince, Ed Ruscha and other artists.” Read Bloomberg article.

Michelangelo self-portrait discovered in restored Vatican fresco: “The restoration of frescoes by Michelangelo in the Vatican has revealed what is believed to be a self-portrait of the artist. The face is in a wall mural in the Vatican’s Pauline Chapel or Cappella Paolina, according to Maurizio De Luca, the Vatican’s chief restorer.” Read Times Online article.

MISCELLANEOUS:

Obama Art Book: – “If you just can’t get enough Obama art — you’re in luck. This fall, Abrams Image will publish Art for Obama: Designing Manifest Hope and the Campaign for Change, a book chronicling art inspired by the 44th president.” Read more at ART INFO.

Nelson Mandela Condemns Lithographs Of Robben Island: “Five prints of Robben Island prison by Nelson Mandela go on sale in London’s Belgravia Gallery – but their creator claims the signatures are not his.” Read Guardian article.

‘Almost Indescribable’ Collection Given To Virginia Museum: “A major family collection of German Expressionist art “so rare that it is almost indescribable” has found a permanent home at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The gift-purchase of the Ludwig and Rosy Fischer Collection brings to the museum more than 200 pieces of art from the most creative years of German Expressionism. “Read Richmond Times article.

PASSINGS:

Tyeb Mehta: July 2, 2009 – “Tyeb Mehta, one of the most celebrated of India’s Modernist painters, whose work broke auction records even as he maintained a frugal and reclusive life, died Wednesday in Mumbai, his home city. He was 84.” Read NY Times article.

Dash Snow: July 13, 2009 – “Artist Dash Snow died of an overdose on July 13 at the Lafayette House in the East Village…Snow was, a jokester, a jailbird, a thief, a freak, a successful art-brut savage, a doting father, a retired writer of graffiti and the latest incarnation of that timeless New York species, the downtown Baudelaire.” Read NY Times article.

Julius Shulman: July 15, 2009 – “Julius Shulman, a renowned architecture photographer who depicted modern houses as the ultimate expressions of modern living and helped idealize the California lifestyle in the postwar years.” Read NY Times article.

Art-e-Facts: 5 Random Art Facts V

July 9, 2009 By Wendy Campbell

1. Antoni Gaudi was hit by a tram in 1926 and he looked so ragged and poor, that nobody recognized him or helped him to a hospital. Gaudi was eventually taken to a hospital for the poor, where he wasn’t recognized until his friends found him there the following day. They wanted to move him but Gaudi refused, insisting that, “I belong here amongst the poor.” He died of his injuries three days later.

2. For about as long as humans have created works of art, they’ve also left behind handprints. People began stenciling, painting, or chipping imprints of their hands onto rock walls at least 30,000 years ago. Analyzing hand stencils dating back some 28,000 years in Spain’s El Castillo cave, archaeologist Dean Snow concluded many of El Castillo’s artists had been female. His findings suggest women’s role in prehistoric culture may have been greater than previously thought.

3. The first ready mixed paint was patented by D.R. Averill of Ohio in 1867, but it never caught on. The Sherwin-Williams company spent ten years perfecting the formula where fine paint particles would stay suspended in Linseed oil. In 1880 they succeeded in developing a formula. It was then that emulsions based on similar formulae, were produced and marketed as ‘oil bound distempers’. By 1880 the new paints were readily available in tins, in a wide range of colours, and came to be exported all over the World.

4. The meaning of the word “cartoon” (from the Italian “cartone” and Dutch word “karton”, meaning strong, heavy paper or pasteboard) has evolved over time. Its original use was in fine art, and meant a full size preparatory drawing for a piece of art such as a painting, stained glass, or tapestry. Cartoons were typically used in the production of frescoes, to accurately link the component parts of the composition.

5. Art crime is the third highest grossing criminal enterprise worldwide, behind only drugs and arms trafficking. It brings in $2-6 billion per year, most of which, since the 1960s is perpetrated either by, or on behalf of, international organized crime syndicates. They either use stolen art for resale, or to barter on the black market for an equivalent value of goods or services. Individually instigated art crimes are rare, and art crimes perpetrated for private collectors are rarest of all.

Sources: Barcelona Life, National Geographic, Brenda Semanick, Wikipedia, ARCA