Here are stories of high-stakes, brazen art crimes from around the world with new insights on ongoing cases by two journalists counted among the most 100 influential people in the art business.
"True crime fans and aficionados of culture will appreciate this dive into the dark side of the art world." —Publishers WeeklyThe art world is one of the most secretive—and largely unregulated—of global businesses, and the list of its crimes run long and deep. The extent of the economic and cultural damage that results from criminality in the global art scene rarely comes to light. By turns thrilling, disturbing, and unbelievable, the cases explored in this book include "artnapping"—stealing art to collect a ransom—tax fraud, forgery, money laundering, and illegal excavations. The book includes coverage of:
- The 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre
- A 2017 sensational case of a 220 lb Canadian gold coin from Berlin's Bode Museum
- The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist
- A section on the thriving market for Mondigliani forgaries
- The ill-gotten art collection of former First Lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos
- Art stolen by the Nazis during WWII, and the enduring business of forgeries of Hitler's own paintings
- President Donald Trump's practice of using his charitable fund to buy art, including a portrait of himself
True crime and art history lovers will devour this thoroughly researched and fascinating book.
"The art world is one of the most secretive of global businesses, and the list of its crimes runs long and deep. Today, with prices in the hundreds of millions for individual artworks, and billionaires' collections among the most conspicuous and liquid of their assets, crime is more rampant than ever in this largely unregulated universe. Increased prices and globalization have introduced new levels of fraud and malfeasance into the art world--everything from "artnapping," in which an artwork is held hostage and only returned for a ransom, to forgery and tax fraud. However, the extent of the economic and cultural damage that results from criminality in the global art scene rarely comes to light. The stories of high-stakes, brazen art crimes told by art experts Stefan Koldehoff and Tobias Timm are by turns thrilling, disturbing, and unbelievable (the imagination for using art to commit crimes seems boundless). The authors also provide a well-founded analysis of what needs to change in the art market and at museums. From the authors of False Pictures, Real Money (about the Beltracchi art forgery case), Art and Crime includes a chapter on art owned by Donald Trump. It is a thoroughly researched, explosive, and highly topical book that uncovers the extraordinary and multifarious thefts of art and cultural objects around the world"--
