Posted on January 6, 2010 by Daniel Schnapp

Art Loss Register: Recent and Unresolved Thefts

In the last entry, we provided some brief background on the Art Loss Register (ALR), a service which provides, among other things, information on recent and unresolved art thefts in the hope of generating leads on the thefts.  By way of example, below are three thefts listed in the ALR's January 6, 2010 email newsletter:

Edgar Degas Pastel Stolen from French Museum
A pastel by Edgar Degas was stolen from the Cantini Museum in Marseilles, France, on the night of December 30, 2009.  The artwork had been removed from the wall, with no visible sign of break-in at the museum, leading police to suggest that the theft may have been an inside job.  The pastel was on loan from the Musee d'Orsay, and is valued at over $1.14m.

From the Archives
Tenth Anniversary of Brash Cezanne Theft

Ten years ago, while people all around the world were ringing in the new millennium on New Year's Eve, a Cezanne masterpiece was stolen from the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England.  The painting remains one of the Art Loss Register's most sought works.  Thieves gained access to the museum through glass skylights, using rope ladders to climb out with the canvas.  At the time of the theft, the painting was valued at $5m.  Oxford's Ashmolean Museum is the world's oldest public museum, first opening its doors in 1683.  The landscape was the only painting by Cezanne in the museum's collection. 

Albert Gleizes Painting Stolen in Deal Gone Sour
On Monday, November 30, 2009, ten paintings including a $1.4m work by Albert Gleizes were stolen at gunpoint in Miami.  The sale of the works was in progress when the proposed buyer of the pictures pulled a gun on the seller, escaping with both the cash and the artworks.  Police successfully arrested the thief, but the paintings remain missing.  Read the full story here.
 
 
Tags:
Posted on January 6, 2010 by Daniel Schnapp

The Art Loss Register: A Most Useful Service

One of the most useful and invaluable tools for those persons and entities engaged in the business of fine art is the Art Loss Register (ALR).   The link is here: www.artloss.com/

The ALR provides an incredible array of services for almost anyone including those who have suffered a theft of artwork.  The ALR website states that its services include:

  • Registration of the legitimate ownership of works of art and other valuable possessions
  • Registration of the loss of works of art and other valuable possessions
  • Registration of fake and forged works of art and other valuable possessions
  • Due diligence services
  • Expert provenance research of works of art and other valuable possessions
  • Specialist World War II provenance research
  • Investigative and recovery work

In addition, the ALR's website notes that it provides services to the following markets:

  • Collectors
  • Auction Houses
  • Art Dealers
  • Art Fairs
  • Museums
  • Financial Institutions
  • Law Enforcement Agencies
  • Government Authorities
  • Private Individuals
     

The ALR publishes an email newsletter which updates any interested party in recent and unresolved art thefts and can alert those who may be in possession of knowledge of the theft in the interest of gathering leads on the thefts. 

The ALR is a highly useful service indeed.

Tags: , , , , ,