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Museum of the Missing

A History of Art Theft

Imagine all of the currently missing or 'stolen' art works on display in one museum. That is Simon Houpt's thesis in his excellent The Museum of the Missing.

Over 100,000 works would be available for the public to view, featuring a who's who of artists, covering almost all movements and ages. Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Dali and Warhol to name but a few of the works that would be on display.

Interpol lists the market for stolen art and antiques as the third largest criminal enterprise in the world following the illicit drug trade and the sale of illegal arms. As Houpt observes, the popularity of art auctions and increased value in the price of art have made this an attractive market for criminals.

Historically art theft has intrigued despots and dictators who would embody the adage 'to the victor go the spoils'. Napoleon filled the Louvre with his treasures and yet as a term of his surrender had to turn the Rosetta Stone over to the British, where it is housed, after purchase, a key detail, at the British Museum close to their display of Lord Elgin's marbles.

The Nazis were the largest looters of art in the world. After the fall of Saddam Hussein looters took the majority of the works from the Iraqi national museum.

Who owns stolen property? That is a question that currently is under review. The British government has always refused to return the Elgin marbles or the Rosetta stone given the British Museum's bills of sale for these antiquities. It is not their issue but one for the courts that have consistently sided with the museum. A former curator of the Getty Museum of Los Angeles is currently on trial in Italy for allegedly purchasing stolen items for the museum. New York's Met recently returned an important Euphronios Krater to Italy that they had purchased in 1978 from Giacomo Medici. The Italian Medici is currently appealing a 10-year sentence in Italy after his theft conviction for the sale of stolen antiquities.

Briefly, the author explores whether or not the museum or art gallery should publicize the theft.  Coming down heartily for ignoring the embarrassment thus making it harder for the thieves to find a market by citing the Toronto example. In 2004 five David Le Marchant carved ivories, including portraits of Isaac Newton, Sir Humphrey Morice, Governor of the Bank of England and the Countess of Sutherland, were stolen from the Art Gallery of Ontario. The ivories were returned within a week given that the AGO and Toronto Police wisely published images and held multiple press conferences keeping the theft and the images of the ivories in the news. The thieves contacted an attorney who acted as a conduit. While the crime remains unsolved the ivories were recovered.

Houpt, while providing a museum of art most would wish to visit, makes the point that this is a continuing problem that needs to be addressed, both for the stolen works whose whereabouts are known, such as the Italian artifacts which the government did not knowingly permit to leave the country and for recent losses such as Henry Moore's Reclining Figure stolen just over a year ago from the Henry Moore Foundation that is located in Perry Green, Much Hadham, whereabouts unknown.

The Museum of the Missing concludes with a poignant gallery of many of the currently missing art works. Perhaps by bringing awareness to this issue and the images of the lost pieces Houpt may do the very same thing he found so commendable that aided in the recovery of the Le Marchant ivories to the Art Gallery of Ontario.