Crimes of the Art World

This book offers a revealing look at the full scope of criminal activity in the art world—a category of crime that is far more pervasive than is generally realized. Forgeries, fakes, fencing, and felony theft—all are pervasive problems in the world of art, where the stakes are high, the networks wide, and the consequences profound. In recent years, suspicious acquisitions, unreliable provenances, and shady dealers have found their way into the headlines as museums and private collections have been confronted with everything from fake pieces to stolen antiquities to plain old theft and vandalism. Crimes of the Art World captures the full scope of this staggeringly lucrative field of criminal conduct, showing how its impact reaches well beyond the walls of the museum. Filled with fascinating stories of crime and greed, this revealing volume looks at case after case of thefts, forgeries, fakes, and illicit trafficking, as well as the political/religious victimization of art, white-collar art crime, and vandalism. The book examines each type of crime in terms of frequency, losses, and characteristics of victims and criminals. Concluding chapters focus on preventive measures, art crime investigation, and security issues.

Table of Contents:
Boxes, Figures, and Tables Preface 1 Art and Crime? Two Intersecting Perspectives: Art and Criminology Art: Why Is It Important? Why Is It Valuable? Art Crimes Case Studies Art and Crime: In Summary 2 Art Theft Theft Offenses Generally: Larceny, Burglary, and Robbery Larceny, Burglary, and Robbery of Art: What Do We Know about These Crimes? Art Theft: The Offenders After the Theft: What Becomes of Stolen Art? Art Theft: In Summary 3 Art Theft Continued: Selected Cases 1911: Theft of the World's Most Famous Painting 1967–1986: The Most Stolen Painting 1969: Church of San Lorenzo, Palermo, Italy 1972: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts 1972: Musée de Bagnols-sur-Cèze, Gard, France 1974–2002: Russborough House, Ireland 1983: Burglars in Budapest 1983–1989: Thefts by Argentine Police Officers 1987: Nine Paintings Reported Missing from Dutch Gallery 1988: Daytime Theft in Berlin 1988: Van Goghs Stolen in Holland 1991: Van Gogh Museum Robbed 1993: Swedish Museum Theft 1994: Picassos Stolen in Switzerland 1995: Titian Stolen from English Estate 1998: Corot Painting Stolen at the Louvre 1998: Modern Art Stolen in Rome 2000: New Year's Burglary in Britain 2000: Fake Monet Delays Theft Report 2000: Armed Robbery at the National Museum in Stockholm 2001: $65 Million in Artworks Stolen from Home of Spanish Billionaire in Madrid 2002: Fake Sculpture Delays Theft Report 2002: Major Thefts in the Netherlands: Van Gogh and Hals Museums 2003: Vienna Museum Burglarized by Burglar Alarm Technician 2003: Da Vinci Stolen from Scottish Castle 2004: Valuable Paintings Stolen from a Hospital in Rome 2005: Museum Burglary Nets Paintings and Silver in Holland 2006: A Robbery in Rio during Carnival 2007: Picasso's Paintings Stolen from His Granddaughter 2007: Masked Gunmen Steal Four Paintings from a Museum in France 2007: Valuable Picasso Stolen in Museum Burglary in Brazil 2008: A Week of Major Thefts in Switzerland 2008: Armed Robbery of Sao Paulo Museum 2008: Daytime Residential Burglary in California Nets Millions 2008: Priceless Work by Goya Stolen in Colombia 2009: Church Burglary in Norway Nets Cranach Painting 2009: Theft at Picasso National Museum in Paris 4 Art Forgeries and Fakes Theft versus Fraud Forgery, Fakery, and Art Values Forgery and Fakery: Antiquities Forgery and Fakery: From the Renaissance to Modern Day How Do They Do It? An Overview of Art Forgery Techniques Distribution Networks: Marketing Forgeries and Fakes Art Forgery and Fakery—In Summary 5 Art Theft and Destruction: The Perils of Wars and Civil/Religious Unrest World War II: The Nazi Plunder of Art World War II (Continued): Repatriating the Nazi Plunder Art Plunder in Times of War and Civil/Religious Unrest: The Dawn of the 21st Century 6 Stealing the Past: The Looting of Cultural-Heritage Objects The Theft of Cultural-Heritage Objects: The Scope of the Problem Looting and Smuggling Networks The Market for Looted Cultural-Heritage Objects: Museums and Collectors Controlling the Looting of the World's Cultural Heritage: Issues and Policies 7 White-Collar Crime in the Art World White-Collar Crime: What Is It? White-Collar Crime in the Art World: How Big of a Problem? 8 Vandalism and Malicious Destruction Destructive/Malicious Behavior Art Vandalism/Destruction as a Form of Protest or Social Statement Destroying Art for Profit Vandalism/Malicious Destruction of Art: Disheartening, Disturbing, and Senseless 9 Responding to Art Crime International Law Enforcement Coordination: The Roles of the United Nations, Interpol, and Other Worldwide Organizations Art-Crime Enforcement in the United States Art-Crime Enforcement Beyond the United States Art-Crime Enforcement: Private-Sector Contributions 10 Security and Prevention: The Best Response to Art Crime Protecting Art from Theft, Looting, and Vandalism Forgeries, Fakes, and Counterfeits: Preventing Victimization and Deterring These Practices Appendix A. Common Art-Object Categories: Definitions Appendix B. Selected Art-Loss Databases Selected Bibliography Notes Index

About the Author :
Thomas D. Bazley, PhD, is adjunct teacher at the University of South Florida, where he also received his degree in criminology.