Posted on December 16, 2008 by Daniel Schnapp

Street Art, Street Life From the 1950's to Now at the Bronx Museum of the Arts

 

Among the always incredible array of exhibitions to visit in New York City is the “Street Art, Street Life From the 1950’s to Now” exhibition at the Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse at 186th Street, Bronx, New York, open to the public through January 25, 2009. 

The Museum’s website describes the exhibition as: “[a]n examination of the street as subject matter, venue, and source of inspiration for artists and photographers from the late 1950s to the present.” This exhibition includes “street photography; documentation of performance, events, and artworks presented in the street; works using material from the street; and examples of street culture by more than thirty artists including William Klein and Lee Friedlander” among others.

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Posted on December 16, 2008 by Daniel Schnapp

Retired Lawyer Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Massive Art Theft

The Boston Globe reported today that a retired criminal defense lawyer, Robert M. Mardirosian, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for “possessing six Impressionist paintings that he knew were stolen in 1978 from a house in the Berkshires in what is believed to be the largest private art theft in Massachusetts history.” 

United States District Court Chief Judge Mark L. Wolf had strong words for the defendant, apparently telling him: “You started as a lawyer . . . [a]s far I'm concerned, you became a glorified fence." The case stems from charges that Mardirosian took six Impressionist paintings that had allegedly been stolen by one of his clients from a Berkshires house and stored them in Europe. 

 

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Posted on December 5, 2008 by Daniel Schnapp

Biggest Art Theft of All Time Still Unresolved

On Nov. 23, The Providence Journal reported that the biggest art theft of all time—the heist of 13 works of art from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston—remains unresolved. The article notes that tips on the whereabouts of the stolen art include theories that the art may be hidden in secret passageways within the museum. 

The article recounts that the heist was committed by men dressed as Boston police officers who claimed they were investigating a disturbance in the museum. After handcuffing and binding the museum’s security guards, the thieves allegedly made off into the night with invaluable works of art by artists such as Rembrandt and Vermeer. The article states that the investigation is still underway and a $5 million reward still stands. 

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