Art theft has long been a crime that has captured the public imagination, with audacious heists of the Mona Lisa, The Scream and various art works by Van Gogh taking place over the years. Beyond the high-profile headline grabbing cases, the theft of paintings is a surprisingly common occurrence.
At our framing shop in north London, we of course operate in good faith, but it’s fascinating to explore the motivations behind art theft, and the measures that are in place to monitor it and recover stolen artworks. Here’s a good look at the subject.
Why do people steal paintings?
The first answer to this question might seem obvious: for financial gain. However, selling a hot painting is not easy, particularly if it is by a well-known artist. It would be impossible to enter in an auction, because in all likelihood the history of the painting would swiftly be uncovered.
Occasionally, art may be stolen to order for an unscrupulous underground collector who keeps the artwork well hidden. Stolen art may also be used to hold owners, museums or insurance companies to ransom, demanding a payment for the safe return of the painting. It can also be used as collateral for criminal gangs for drug deals or illegal arms trades.
For a power trip
Theft is not just about possession or money: some art thieves have confessed that it’s the thrill of pulling off a high-stakes heist that draws them to the crime. For example, Pål Enger orchestrated the theft of Edvard Munch’s The Scream from the National Gallery in Oslo in 1994 “because he could.”
In such cases, the ego feeds on outwitting the authorities and bypassing security systems, which gives the thief a twisted sense of power and control.
Political or ideological motives
Looting artworks is deployed as a method of warfare that is intended to undermine or erase the cultural history of the invaded country. Extreme ideological views or political protest can also motivate art theft or vandalism, such as recent cases of Just Stop Oil protesters throwing soup at Vincent Van Gogh paintings on display at the National Gallery in London.
The need to ‘possess’ the art or artist
Artists and artworks can speak to people on a deep psychological, emotional and spiritual level. However, this can tip over into an obsession for some people, resulting in an unstoppable desire to possess an artwork and lock it away from the rest of the world.
How are stolen artworks traced and recovered?
Artwork that is stolen, looted, missing, or subject to an ownership dispute can be recorded on an international database. These databases are checked by auction houses, dealers, collectors, insurances, lawyers, and any other relevant parties when art works are bought and sold. This proves that due diligence was carried out as part of the transaction.
The databases carry detailed information about the missing artworks and the suspected theft, and if any work should resurface it can be identified. Dealers and auction houses take a proactive approach to monitoring all the artwork that crosses their path, making it more difficult for stolen works to change hands on the open market.
Sometimes, specialist art recovery firms or private detectives work to trace and negotiate the safe return of stolen paintings. The media also usually takes a keen interest in stolen art or works with disputed ownership, which helps to raise awareness of art crime amongst the general public, and makes it even more difficult for criminals to profit from it.
What happens when ownership is disputed?
Title disputes can be complicated, as a current example illustrates. The Guardian reports that a 16th-century Madonna and Child painting by the Italian artist Antonio Solario that was stolen from a museum in Italy over 50 years ago has resurfaced in Norfolk.
The painting was taken by thieves from the Civic Museum of Belluno, northern Italy, in 1973 and was listed as missing on stolen art databases until 2017. The painting is currently in the possession of Barbara de Dozsa of East Barsham Manor in Norfolk. It was acquired in good faith from an auction house by her former husband, Baron de Dozsa, now deceased.
De Dozsa attempted to sell the painting through a regional auction house in 2017, but it was matched to a stolen art database, and the Italian authorities were contacted. However, due to delays in forwarding the relevant documents to the police caused by the Covid lockdowns, the painting was handed back to De Dozsa in 2020.
She is now refusing to return the painting to the original owners unless she is paid full market value for it. An art recovery specialist advocating for the return of the painting claims that it belongs to the people of Belluno.
Christopher Marinello is the founder of Art Recovery International and a lawyer who has family roots in Belluno, and is working on the case for no fee. He told The Guardian: “Her husband could not have paid more than a couple of hundred back in 1973. It’s only worth maybe £60,000 to £80,000 now.”
He added: “She refuses to cooperate unless she gets paid the full value, but she can never sell the painting. No legitimate auction house will ever touch it … the Carabinieri have it on their database and will never take it off. As soon as that painting goes to Italy, it’s going to be seized.”
Meanwhile, the UK police have said the dispute over the ownership of the painting is a civil matter and they will be taking no further action. This raises complicated legal and moral questions that have yet to be resolved, but no doubt the art world will be watching the next developments with a very keen eye.