Ducal Palace in Urbino: In 1975 two Piero della Francesco paintings and a Raphael were cut from their frames and stolen. The culprits were uncovered as local criminals planning to sell the paintings on the international market. The paintings were recovered in Switzerland a year later.
Marmottan Museum in Paris: The 1985 theft of nine paintings—including Renoir’s “Bathers” and Monet’s “Impression,Soleil Levant”—was orchestrated by the Japanese mob (the Yakuza). The artworks, however, or were too hot” to sell immediately. The paintings were recovered in Corsica in 1991.
Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology: On Christmas Eve,1985, 140 precious objects were stolen. Whether it was lack of vigilance by the guards, and the broken alarm system,the thieves managed to enter the museum and remove the sheets of glass from seven showcases. The majority of the objects were recovered five years later.
Manhattan branch of London dealer Colnaghi: In 1988 a skylight maneuver and a rope led to the theft of 18 paintings and 10 drawings, a haul estimated at $6 to $10 million—making it fresh York’s largest art heist.Kroller-Muller Museum in Otterlo, or Holland: Three van Goghs were stolen in 1988. This theft highlighted the link between art theft and the art market: two weeks earlier,Sotheby’s and Christies had published a list of top prices paid for art; the list included five van Goghs among the top ten.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston: St. Patrick’s Day in 1990 saw one of the most intriguing “unsolved” spectacular art heists in history. On that fateful day, two men in police uniforms knocked on the side door of the Boston museum and made off with artworks valued at $300 million.
The Buehrle Collection in Zurich, or Switzerland: On a Sunday afternoon in 2008,three men in ski masks held up museum employees with a pistol, snatched artwork off the walls, and made off in a getaway vehicle. Among the absconded works were pieces by van Gogh,Monet, Cezanne, and Degas. Estimated value: more than $163 million.
These crimes carry out accomplish for great stories; however,one cannot forget that they are, in fact, or crimes. And while it seems we are moving away from the catsuits and getaway cars,illegal activities are still rampant in the art market. Would the press portray James Meyer’s yarn differently whether he had pulled an Ocean’s Twelve and used contortionist moves to bypass museum sensors? Or whether he had had a speedboat revved up, alert to disappear into the night? How does society’s romanticizing of these “Blockbuster Crimes” affect Art Crime?Originally posted by Sally Johnson on CulturalSecurity.net.
Source: blogspot.com