Art Theft: The Zara Case

Historic treasures and artifacts are often donated to or purchased by other nations to place in their museums. Often museums are given the objects with full cooperation from the originating country, but sometimes they are stolen or given for protection such as in a time of war. When nations want the artifacts returned it can cause a disagreement with the other nations of who the rightful owner is.

Sadly, while the largest in history, this type of theft is hardly unique (Honan, 1990). According to The New York Times, “enough stolen masterpieces are still ‘out there’” that art professionals and police specialists say they could “fill a museum” (1990). Immediately after they were burglarized, the Gardner could not post a reward large enough to entice the thieves due to their lack of theft insurance (Butterfield, 1990). The theft occurred during a period of rapidly rising art costs and increasingly prevalent art robberies, which rendered “theft insurance more expensive than the museum's entire operating budget” (Butterfield,

Art Crime has become the encircling phrase used by law enforcement and art crime scholars to classify the field of inquiry involving crimes against art and cultural property. According to recent data from the FBI Art Crime Division, the $66 billion global art market is estimated to lose $8 billion annually to art crimes involving theft, looting, fraud, and trafficking— surpassed only by the drug and gun trafficking trades (FBI). Recent studies have confirmed that many insurgent groups and terrorists organizations—ISIS and Al-Qaeda—are funding their wars through the sales and trade of art and cultural objects. (Haken, National Geographic). When you mix art with criminal trafficking and the underworld associations of the black market, a clear picture of trouble fills the canvas.

Have you ever heard about how an artist gets his work copied by another artist? It could either be a popular artist who has their work plagiarized by another lesser-known artist.

The assignment will require you to explore several website to learn more about their efforts, examine one case of art theft and identify why art is so valuable. Prepare a five paragraph essay citing at least two sources.

Very few works of art taken by Hitler have been found, and many that are discovered reside in museums. Some have been discovered in museums or galleries in Austria, while thousands still remain lost. Recently, “a long-lost Monet and other art treasures stolen from Jews during the Holocaust have been discovered in the home of an 81-year-old German art collector,” Julian states (Julian). Cornelius Gurlitt, the art

If the image is no longer unique and exclusive, the art object, the thing, must be made mysteriously so,” (Berger 44). Therefore, the final step in the exploitation of power is mystification of its origins. Over time a concept will build its image and solidify its strength through results, showing the public its value until it becomes integrated and thus, hidden within society. There are several examples of power that has become formally accepted or internalized by the public and it is difficult to see how they exploit power because their origins are mystified. For the concept of originality in art, we can see how its status may have risen because of the definition we give to “originality” rules that have commercial purposes or vice versa. Some examples include companies that have copyright issues to protect names and identities that belong to them, or schools that incorporate rules about plagiarism. The idea of originality has already become internalized within our society that assigning a market meaning with it, just seems natural. If our judicial system has already incorporated ideas of “originality”, then not many people will see any problems with it. However, it is important to look at the origins and realize how a power came to be to prevent it from being exploited. Another covert concept integrated within society

In the early morning hours of March 18, 1990, a pair of thieves disguised as Boston police officers entered the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and roamed the Museum’s galleries, stealing thirteen works of art. The stolen works are valued at $500 million, which made the lottery the largest art theft in American history. There were 14 pieces of art that was stolen on the March 18, 1990. There is a reward of $5 million for information leading to the recovery of these works in good condition. No one has found out, it has been 25 years of theories as to what happened.

Artwork is a unique commodity. It is easily identifiable, and thus, subsequent purchasers may initially succeed in concealing stolen artwork for some time. Eventually, the artwork is likely to resurface. This resurfacing often gives rise to claims to the work and disputes over its ownership. Sentiment is often the driving force behind Jewish survivors and families of

Why are police paid to find art? Because of the importance of the art, and the rarity, private investigators and detectives sought out to find and punish those who steal. In some ways like the case of Isabella Stewart Gardener, where no one was found, even 25 years later. They did give up, but wasted lots of time and money trying to find a piece worth $1-5 million. I would believe the police involved spent more

In the occurrence of stolen valuable artwork, often times law enforcement authorities have an extremely hard time recovering the missing property. There are many reasons why of all thefts, artwork theft can be one of the most complicated to solve. In 1990, 14 pieces of art valued at $500 million dollars was stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, becoming the biggest art Theft in American history. The National Stolen Art File (NSAF) was set up to help recover missing artwork. some people may have missing priceless artwork passed down to them just sitting in there basement with them unknowing its true value. Some art works missing have been and can be intentionally taken by

The two essays, “What is Wrong with a Forgery,” by Alfred Lessing and “Artistic Crimes,” by Denis Dutton, explore the different reasons that they give negative connotation to the concept of an artistic forgery. Each author concludes that a forgery is indeed wrongful, however their reasons for this conclusion differ in several distinct ways. This essay will summarize both authors’ main points and compare and contrast the fundamental differences of their arguments.

The world of art is plagued by forgeries. In the case of some artists, such as Vermeer, there are often nearly as many fakes out there as there are genuine pieces. The infamous forger Han van Meegeren was known to have made at least 11 forged Vermeer’s that were accepted as genuine until his arrest in the 1940’s (Wynne, 257). Wolfgang Beltracchi made millions selling pieces that his wife claimed to have inherited from an uncle, telling brokers, art historians, and museums that the pieces were rare works, previously unseen. In actuality, Beltracchi was using modern techniques to make paintings in the style of 20th century masters (Birkenstock, Beltracchi). These are genuine criminals, no different than people who scam the elderly via email or

Of the many crimes that are present in this day and age, one that not only vandalizes the property, but as well as historical background is that of art theft. A crime that has taken away the sanctity of churches as well as many other religious and historical sites. Thefts have ranged from WWII (World War II) to the times of the Holocaust. Of the items that were taken from the churches, relics were items of great priority. These items not only had great value to the churches they were stolen from, but a great value to relic collectors. Most of the items taking during these times were either sold or placed in underground storage. Most of these items that were place in these secret places were never to be seen again. From the

Throughout history, art has caused wars and forged alliances. In modern times, cultural treasures are being sorted into place after much misplacement. Restitution/repatriation, the act of returning cultural treasures to their rightful owners or nation of origin, often ensues difficult legal decisions, but remains a moral necessity. This act of returning cultural treasures, grows more common due to the media’s interest or publicized legal battles. The movie “The Woman in Gold,” involving Gustav Klimt’s painting of Adele Bloch-Bauer, is an example of the influence it has on media.