Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Toronto, ON : Key Porter Books, 2006.
Description
Priceless masterpieces...Brazen thefts: The true story behind the blank spaces on the museum walls. What kind of person would dare to steal a legendary painting--and who would buy something so instantly recognizable? In recent years, art theft has captured the public imagination more than ever before, spurred by both real life incidents (the snatching of Edvard Munch's well-known masterwork The Scream) and the glamorous fantasy of such Hollywood films as The Thomas Crown Affair. The truth is, according to INTERPOL records, more than 20,000 stolen works of art are missing--including Rembrandts, Renoirs, van Goghs, and Picassos. Museum of the Missing offers an intriguing tour through the underworld of art theft, where the stakes are high and passions run strong. Not only is the volume beautifully written and lavishly illustrated--if all the paintings presented here could be gathered in one museum it would be one of the finest collections in existence--it tells a story as fascinating as any crime novel. This gripping page-turner features everything from wartime plundering to audacious modern-day heists, from an examination of the criminals' motivations to a look at the professionals who spend their lives hunting down the wrongdoers. Most breathtaking of all, this invaluable resource offers a "Gallery of Missing Art," an extensive section showcasing stolen paintings that remain lost--including information about the theft and estimated present-day value--and which may never be seen again. … (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Whisper1
Prior to October of 1958, art sales were handled away from the public and art dealers selectively catered to the wealthy who requested specific works.
When Sotheby's held a black-tie affair and auctioned seven paintings from the prestigious Jakob Goldschmidt collection, they unleashed a beast. Never
Jakob Goldscmidt escaped Berlin during the Nazi rein of terror. His was not the only collection robbed by the Nazi's, but his collection was the only one at the time having the distinction of fetching incredible amounts in the 1950's, setting the tone for the increased desire for art and the perception of incredible worth, marking precious works as ever increasing targets for thievery.
Paul Cezanne's 1890 Le garcon au gilet rouge was one of the works for sale at the auction. It sold for $610,00, which was a large sum in 1958. It went for seven times more than any previous painting sold at auction.
The author of this book carefully, meticulously takes the reader from the Sotheby's sale through current day and chronicles famous art stolen. Some pieces, such as the Mona Lisa, were recovered, others, such as those taken from the Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum in Boston in March of 1990, have never surfaced.
Historical figures such as Hitler and Napoleon blatantly, with greedy intent confiscated priceless works. Despite years of trying to hide the legendary Rothschild collection, Mad man Hitler hunted down all scattered secret locations and received 29 shipments containing over 4,000 works, including Rembrandts, Raphael's, van Dyck's, Ingres' and Fragonards.
Most precious was Vermeer's The Astronomer
Throughout the years individual pieces have been stolen from museums in the light of day, others under the cloak of darkness.
The bottom line is if not recovered, these priceless works, are forever gone and we are robbed of beauty.
Here are some paintings missing and are included in the museum of the missing:
Claude Monet's painting Marine, missing since Feb. 24, 20006 stolen during carnival festivities in Rio de Janerio, Brazil
One of two versions of the Edvard Munchs' Scream was stolen at gunpoint by two masked thieves in bold daylight. It is missing since August 22, 2004.
Madonna with the Yarnwinder by Leonardo Da Vinci is currently valued at $65 million. It was stolen from the Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfries Scotland when two men overpowered a young tour guide.
View of the Sea at Scheveningen by Vincent Van Gogh is missing since December7, 2002 when two thieves used a ladder and broke into the roof of the museum, stealing this and
Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen by Van Gogh.
The current estimated value for each painting is $30 million.
One of my favorite paintings, The Concert by Johannes Vermeer was stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum March of 1990. It is listed as "priceless" in value.
When Sotheby's held a black-tie affair and auctioned seven paintings from the prestigious Jakob Goldschmidt collection, they unleashed a beast. Never
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before was art publicly displayed for so many people, and never before was the price of art work bid frantically at such incredible high amounts.Jakob Goldscmidt escaped Berlin during the Nazi rein of terror. His was not the only collection robbed by the Nazi's, but his collection was the only one at the time having the distinction of fetching incredible amounts in the 1950's, setting the tone for the increased desire for art and the perception of incredible worth, marking precious works as ever increasing targets for thievery.
Paul Cezanne's 1890 Le garcon au gilet rouge was one of the works for sale at the auction. It sold for $610,00, which was a large sum in 1958. It went for seven times more than any previous painting sold at auction.
The author of this book carefully, meticulously takes the reader from the Sotheby's sale through current day and chronicles famous art stolen. Some pieces, such as the Mona Lisa, were recovered, others, such as those taken from the Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum in Boston in March of 1990, have never surfaced.
Historical figures such as Hitler and Napoleon blatantly, with greedy intent confiscated priceless works. Despite years of trying to hide the legendary Rothschild collection, Mad man Hitler hunted down all scattered secret locations and received 29 shipments containing over 4,000 works, including Rembrandts, Raphael's, van Dyck's, Ingres' and Fragonards.
Most precious was Vermeer's The Astronomer
Throughout the years individual pieces have been stolen from museums in the light of day, others under the cloak of darkness.
The bottom line is if not recovered, these priceless works, are forever gone and we are robbed of beauty.
Here are some paintings missing and are included in the museum of the missing:
Claude Monet's painting Marine, missing since Feb. 24, 20006 stolen during carnival festivities in Rio de Janerio, Brazil
One of two versions of the Edvard Munchs' Scream was stolen at gunpoint by two masked thieves in bold daylight. It is missing since August 22, 2004.
Madonna with the Yarnwinder by Leonardo Da Vinci is currently valued at $65 million. It was stolen from the Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfries Scotland when two men overpowered a young tour guide.
View of the Sea at Scheveningen by Vincent Van Gogh is missing since December7, 2002 when two thieves used a ladder and broke into the roof of the museum, stealing this and
Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen by Van Gogh.
The current estimated value for each painting is $30 million.
One of my favorite paintings, The Concert by Johannes Vermeer was stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum March of 1990. It is listed as "priceless" in value.
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LibraryThing member phalaborwa
Beautiful photos of masterpieces, highly readable account of modern art theft both from museums and personal collections.
LibraryThing member extrajoker
Interesting and accessible, this book deals with wartime art theft (Napoleon, the Nazis, U.S. soldiers in post-WWII Germany, etc.) and museum heists (such as the works taken from Boston's Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum in 1990). Houpt writes about the known thieves and looters as well as those
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groups and individuals who strive to recover lost art. There are many beautiful photos of paintings and other works, some of which resurfaced years after their theft, and some whose whereabouts remain unknown. Show Less
LibraryThing member mana_tominaga
Gorgeous reproductions and interesting, well-written analysis, but the coverage lacks any detail or insight into non-Western art theft.
LibraryThing member lizzybeans11
This book is a great look at some of the well-known Art Theft cases of the past century or so. The photos of the damage and the works are a fantastic tribute to these missing pieces. This may not be as in-depth as some case studies, but I think it is a marvellous book for the casual reader.
LibraryThing member jennifersalderson
This beautifully illustrated tome will appeal to those interested in learning more about the stories behind some of the most famous art thefts in history, ingenious swindles carried out by daring criminals, heartless looting of cultural treasures by nations, and all the law enforcement agencies and
I’d originally borrowed this from a local library to find out more about the Gardner heist in Boston, but was so captivated by the author’s storytelling and interesting tidbits of background information that he’d woven into the short texts, that I bought my own hardback copy and read the whole thing.
Not only does the author describe in detail several of the more brazen and important art crimes worldwide, he goes further, placing the robberies or looting in historical context, describing the value of the objects within criminal organizations, and explaining the important role of forgeries in many thefts.
The role of political leaders behind some of the more extensive looting's is also described, as well as the rightful owners’ often unsuccessful quest to regain possession of their sculpture, painting or antique heirloom. The complex research and investigative work of private detectives, museum staff and police in trying to find these missing pieces is also well explained. The book ends with a lengthy appendix of missing masterpieces and descriptions of their theft or disappearance.
It is not an exhaustive reference book, more of an introduction into this murky world of looted, stolen and forged art. And quite an entertaining one!
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cultural institutions who tried (and still try) to stop them.I’d originally borrowed this from a local library to find out more about the Gardner heist in Boston, but was so captivated by the author’s storytelling and interesting tidbits of background information that he’d woven into the short texts, that I bought my own hardback copy and read the whole thing.
Not only does the author describe in detail several of the more brazen and important art crimes worldwide, he goes further, placing the robberies or looting in historical context, describing the value of the objects within criminal organizations, and explaining the important role of forgeries in many thefts.
The role of political leaders behind some of the more extensive looting's is also described, as well as the rightful owners’ often unsuccessful quest to regain possession of their sculpture, painting or antique heirloom. The complex research and investigative work of private detectives, museum staff and police in trying to find these missing pieces is also well explained. The book ends with a lengthy appendix of missing masterpieces and descriptions of their theft or disappearance.
It is not an exhaustive reference book, more of an introduction into this murky world of looted, stolen and forged art. And quite an entertaining one!
Show Less
LibraryThing member jennifersalderson
This beautifully illustrated tome will appeal to those interested in learning more about the stories behind some of the most famous art thefts in history, ingenious swindles carried out by daring criminals, heartless looting of cultural treasures by nations, and all the law enforcement agencies and
I’d originally borrowed this from a local library to find out more about the Gardner heist in Boston, but was so captivated by the author’s storytelling and interesting tidbits of background information that he’d woven into the short texts, that I bought my own hardback copy and read the whole thing.
Not only does the author describe in detail several of the more brazen and important art crimes worldwide, he goes further, placing the robberies or looting in historical context, describing the value of the objects within criminal organizations, and explaining the important role of forgeries in many thefts.
The role of political leaders behind some of the more extensive looting's is also described, as well as the rightful owners’ often unsuccessful quest to regain possession of their sculpture, painting or antique heirloom. The complex research and investigative work of private detectives, museum staff and police in trying to find these missing pieces is also well explained. The book ends with a lengthy appendix of missing masterpieces and descriptions of their theft or disappearance.
It is not an exhaustive reference book, more of an introduction into this murky world of looted, stolen and forged art. And quite an entertaining one!
Show More
cultural institutions who tried (and still try) to stop them.I’d originally borrowed this from a local library to find out more about the Gardner heist in Boston, but was so captivated by the author’s storytelling and interesting tidbits of background information that he’d woven into the short texts, that I bought my own hardback copy and read the whole thing.
Not only does the author describe in detail several of the more brazen and important art crimes worldwide, he goes further, placing the robberies or looting in historical context, describing the value of the objects within criminal organizations, and explaining the important role of forgeries in many thefts.
The role of political leaders behind some of the more extensive looting's is also described, as well as the rightful owners’ often unsuccessful quest to regain possession of their sculpture, painting or antique heirloom. The complex research and investigative work of private detectives, museum staff and police in trying to find these missing pieces is also well explained. The book ends with a lengthy appendix of missing masterpieces and descriptions of their theft or disappearance.
It is not an exhaustive reference book, more of an introduction into this murky world of looted, stolen and forged art. And quite an entertaining one!
Show Less
LibraryThing member jennifersalderson
This beautifully illustrated tome will appeal to those interested in learning more about the stories behind some of the most famous art thefts in history, ingenious swindles carried out by daring criminals, heartless looting of cultural treasures by nations, and all the law enforcement agencies and
I’d originally borrowed this from a local library to find out more about the Gardner heist in Boston, but was so captivated by the author’s storytelling and interesting tidbits of background information that he’d woven into the short texts, that I bought my own hardback copy and read the whole thing.
Not only does the author describe in detail several of the more brazen and important art crimes worldwide, he goes further, placing the robberies or looting in historical context, describing the value of the objects within criminal organizations, and explaining the important role of forgeries in many thefts.
The role of political leaders behind some of the more extensive looting's is also described, as well as the rightful owners’ often unsuccessful quest to regain possession of their sculpture, painting or antique heirloom. The complex research and investigative work of private detectives, museum staff and police in trying to find these missing pieces is also well explained. The book ends with a lengthy appendix of missing masterpieces and descriptions of their theft or disappearance.
It is not an exhaustive reference book, more of an introduction into this murky world of looted, stolen and forged art. And quite an entertaining one!
*Neem me niet kwalijk dat dit recensie in het Engels is. Ik heb het boek in het Nederlands gelezen, maar het blijft mij tweede taal. wilde liever dat mijn mening duidelijk was -- en in het Engels -- in plaats van verwarrend.
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cultural institutions who tried (and still try) to stop them.I’d originally borrowed this from a local library to find out more about the Gardner heist in Boston, but was so captivated by the author’s storytelling and interesting tidbits of background information that he’d woven into the short texts, that I bought my own hardback copy and read the whole thing.
Not only does the author describe in detail several of the more brazen and important art crimes worldwide, he goes further, placing the robberies or looting in historical context, describing the value of the objects within criminal organizations, and explaining the important role of forgeries in many thefts.
The role of political leaders behind some of the more extensive looting's is also described, as well as the rightful owners’ often unsuccessful quest to regain possession of their sculpture, painting or antique heirloom. The complex research and investigative work of private detectives, museum staff and police in trying to find these missing pieces is also well explained. The book ends with a lengthy appendix of missing masterpieces and descriptions of their theft or disappearance.
It is not an exhaustive reference book, more of an introduction into this murky world of looted, stolen and forged art. And quite an entertaining one!
*Neem me niet kwalijk dat dit recensie in het Engels is. Ik heb het boek in het Nederlands gelezen, maar het blijft mij tweede taal. wilde liever dat mijn mening duidelijk was -- en in het Engels -- in plaats van verwarrend.
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LibraryThing member classyhomemaker
I really love reading about art history mysteries---I can't get enough! This book was super interesting and will be going straight into my permanent collection. I found myself looking up each work and notating in the book whether they'd been recovered since publication. Happily, I found quite a few
I was pretty disgusted with the way museums and governments refuse to give up obviously stolen property. The British handling of the art property of other nations, in particular, is despicable. I'm planning a trip in March and Selah really wants to see the Natural History Museum/V&A/etc. --- not so sure I'll enjoy it as much now as I have in the past. As the author points out, how many pieces in our museums are even the spoils of war? Quite the moral dilemma there...
Even though I'm always rooting for the good guys, I do have to admit several of the heists were pretty genius. The whole story surrounding the fictional Thomas Alcock collection was pretty impressive.
Great read---glad I took the time!
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that had! I was pretty disgusted with the way museums and governments refuse to give up obviously stolen property. The British handling of the art property of other nations, in particular, is despicable. I'm planning a trip in March and Selah really wants to see the Natural History Museum/V&A/etc. --- not so sure I'll enjoy it as much now as I have in the past. As the author points out, how many pieces in our museums are even the spoils of war? Quite the moral dilemma there...
Even though I'm always rooting for the good guys, I do have to admit several of the heists were pretty genius. The whole story surrounding the fictional Thomas Alcock collection was pretty impressive.
Great read---glad I took the time!
Show Less
Subjects
Language
Physical description
192 p.; 26.3 cm
ISBN
9781552638699
Copy notes
First printing.
Contents: The trade in stolen art / Julian Radcliffe -- Art as a commodity -- Theft in a time of war -- The uncommom criminal -- The lost art detective agency -- The space on the wall -- Gallery of missing art.
Includes bibliographical references (page 190) and index.
Pictorial dust jacket over black cloth-covered boards, gilt on spine, metallic grey endpapers. Dust jacket in Mylar.
Contents: The trade in stolen art / Julian Radcliffe -- Art as a commodity -- Theft in a time of war -- The uncommom criminal -- The lost art detective agency -- The space on the wall -- Gallery of missing art.
Includes bibliographical references (page 190) and index.
Pictorial dust jacket over black cloth-covered boards, gilt on spine, metallic grey endpapers. Dust jacket in Mylar.