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Same Old ThingIn March of 2004, in a Hot Topic piece, International Art Treasures congratulated the efforts undertaken in the recovery of Ken Thomson's ivories stolen from the Art Gallery of Ontario. Several months later in an article we detailed the recovery of a Stolen Rembrandt and Renoir from Sweden's National Museum of Fine Arts. One year ago it was England and Henry Moore's turn to make the news with the disappearance of his Reclining Figure. The following month Toronto's Bata Shoe Museum suffered a loss of three valuable items which were recovered. This month International Art Treasures reviews an incredible book on the currently missing and stolen art works: The Museum of the Missing. It is naive to presume that there isn't a market for well-known stolen artworks. Apparently there is and moreover for some publicizing the theft isn't as tantamount as protecting the institution and its lacking security from embarrassment. Though this is changing with the success of those, like the Art Gallery of Ontario, that had the courage to admit their loss. Seven days later the ivories were recovered as the thieves discovered they were far too hot and they returned them via a conduit to hopefully avoid prosecution. For Bata it was the foolishness of the thieves who photographed the stolen items and then took the film to be developed at a local photography store whose employees recognized the pieces and contacted authorities. While it would be so much easier should all thieves be as foolhardy as those who robbed the Bata Shoe Museum, it can't be counted on as an investigative tool. Publicity is the method. The thieves may have their moment of glory but making their ill-gotten gains worthless and famous is an effective method in the recovery and prosecution of the guilty parties. |