Our Books & Interests

Art Theft

Art theft usually doesn't rank high as a daily concern for most people. After all, most people in the world don't own expensive artwork or antiquities, so they don't necessarily understand the art market, and frankly don't have time to care about the issue. Art theft ranks low on the priority list of most people. But some of us fret about it for personal or professional reasons.

This art theft business has always intrigued me, but I didn't actively research it until after my university days. The underlying premise of the books we will publish is about art theft and the consequences in our world, not just the art world.

Art theft is the fourth most lucrative crime in the world. Artwork, particularly paintings, is easy to steal and hide while traveling the globe to an eventual buyer. Since the works are hot properties, you won't find them listed at an auction at Christie's or Sotheby's. Their catalog lists only works with a proven provenance. Thieves are only interested in the money to be made.

Secondly, stolen goods can be held in escrow for a financial transaction or for outright payment. In plain language, a thief has the stolen art for sale to raise necessary cash. The cash is then used to purchase other items such as drugs, weapons, and humans. The underlying cash cow of stolen art is funding human sex trafficking and terrorism.

Western governments have an agency that tracks stolen goods, often leading to arrests of terrorists, as well as gangs, cartels, and individuals. Unfortunately for art owners, tracking down stolen artwork doesn't always guarantee the return of their artwork. Stolen art travels from buyer to buyer across the world.

The track record on returning the stolen art is not encouraging. The record is even worse when it comes to the artwork originally stolen from Jewish families by the Nazis prior to and during World War II. Then the Communists rolled into Europe from Russia and yanked some of that artwork right out of German hands. Hundreds of millions of dollars disappeared into the great maw of the criminal underworld.

You can find articles on art theft or information from newsworthy articles on art theft restitution here. From time to time, snippets of the book on this topic will appear.