The Illicit Art Market

Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1893, oil, tempera and pastel on cardboard, stolen from the National Gallery, Oslo in 1994, recovered later that year.

DAY 12 Today is Saturday, January 14,^th and we turn to the Illicit Art Market. Most people are familiar with the high-profile theft of the Mona Lisa,

stolen from the Louvre by employee Vincenzo Perrugia in 1911 (returned in 1913), and the Scream, stolen from the National Museum of Art, Oslo

in 1994 (recovered later that year). These and other notable art thefts, including wartime looting, have led to international enforcement and recovery

collaborations between Interpol and the FBI Art Crime Team as well as the establishment of the Art Loss Registry, the world's largest database of

stolen art and antiquities. More recently, notorious cases of state art theft and museum misappropriation have raised questions about cultural patri-

mony and the return of antiquities to their national homeland. How does the value of art change once it has been stolen, looted or confiscated?

Read the short chapter on "Art Theft" from the Art Business and watch the documentary the Rape of Europa, about the Nazi regime's policy of

looting art for sale or removal to museums in the Third Reich from 1933-1945. Choose a controversial or high profile case of art theft, looting or

confiscation to discuss with regards to the value of the work of art on the art market as well as the cultural/political ramifications of its theft and/

or return. A good example is the case of Gustav Klimt's Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, returned to an heir of the original owner in Austria after its

confiscation by the Nazis and later sold to billionaire philanthropist Ronald Lauder for $135 million in 2006, reportedly the most expensive painting

ever sold at the time.

Readings

Read the following excerpt from the Art Business

ArtCrime.pdf

 
Watch the Rape of Europa about the Nazi art theft during WWII available from Netflix or at the Africana Library.

See the trailer and check out the website for the film http://www.rapeofeuropa.com/aboutTheStory.asp and related links: 

http://www.rapeofeuropa.com/theTrailer.aspx
 

Individual Contributions

Consider & comment:
Please use this space to respond to your classmates' work and to engage in lively discussions on the day's topic. Keep your comments concise and conversational by responding to others, rebutting or supporting their ideas. Use the comment box below for these observations.