It really seems like there are a few artists whose work just keeps being the target for thieves. We’ve talked a little about how Rembrandt is like that but so is van Gogh. The van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam was opened in 1973 and since then it has been robbed twice, each time multiple paintings were stolen.

I know you’re probably thinking “who the heck is that?!” Don’t worry, I was too. But this man has done over €138 million in damage to famous, beautiful paintings. What compelled him to do this? How did he manage to pull this off so many times? Let's find out.

A New York City heiress, the founder of H&R Block, and the FBI. These three groups of people are linked in the most unlikely way through a Degas painting called Dancer Making Points. She has changed hands many times and the story of how she ended up where she is, is odd, to say the least.

I am on a roll with fraud cases right now, there’s something so fascinating about being able to fool people whose JOB it is to recognize authentic art and appraise it. This time we have New York’s Knoedler Gallery at the centre of the story and over two dozen fake works. Let’s discuss.

Ok boys and girls, we have a homegrown mystery on our hands. In Montreal in 1972, 18 paintings were stolen from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in an event sometimes called The Skylight Caper. Sounds like an Agatha Christie tbh but I can’t give you the perfect ending that she would have. Definitely worth the read anyway.

The works of John Drewe and John Myatt have been called the ‘biggest contemporary art fraud of the century’, needless to say, this one’s a real doozy. These two men are said to have faked over 200 works of art fooling collectors and experts alike for years. How did they do it?

Yes, you read that right, thefts. Plural. This one specific, small, Rembrandt painting has been stolen four whole times. Let’s review these four incidents and talk a little bit about why this particular painting is just so irresistible to thieves. 

The million-dollar (or should I say pound) question. Who TF is Banksy? You know his work already if you’re a loyal reader of this blog but even if you aren’t you know it, he’s an icon of contemporary art. But who is he?

This is yet another case that made headlines around the world in 2012 when it happened. The main question on the surface is how did three guys manage to break into a museum and steal seven masterpieces in 2 minutes and 48 seconds, and leave before the police arrived? But there is so much more to this story than just that, strap in.

Everyone knows the famous Mona Lisa at the Louvre in Paris and the mystery surrounding her. But, honestly, it has pretty much been solved, she was painted by Leonardo da Vinci and we know her identity but what remains murky is if there are two other Mona Lisas floating around and if he also painted those.

Michelangelo’s Pietà sculpture is revered as one of his best, if not his very best, work. It is a piece of art that is famous and recognizable the world over and people come from all over to see it. However, for one man the trip to see Pieta wasn’t about admiring its beauty, he chose violence instead.

This story sounds like it’s something out of a comic book or like something I just made up but I promise I didn’t. It’s about the insane robbery of the Paris Museum of Modern Art in 2010 and it involves parkour, paint stripping acid, and five missing masterpieces. If that doesn't pique your interest idk what will.

This crime is considered one of the most significant art crimes in history and the FBI named it in their Top 10 Art Crimes in 2005. The Italian police, the FBI, and Interpol all have been working to try to find this painting over the last 50 years. So yeah…… I’d say this one is a big deal. 

Here we are back again with another highly controversial and debated topic within the art community. Vermeer, one of the greatest Dutch masters, is credited for 34 paintings however is this the right number? Is there a chance that his daughter is the true artist behind six of these famous works? Let’s find out.

Pretty sure everyone knows what the HUGE head sculptures on Easter Island look like, but how much do you really know about them? Who made them and why? How were they made and moved?? Do they have bodies? What are some other fun facts about them? Some of these things will be revealed, read on!

So excited to talk about Rothko this week. He is hands down one of my all-time favourite artists, I love him. I am also enraged that someone vandalized this very classic piece, they didn’t even target it for any reason it was just in the wrong place at the wrong time :( let’s discuss.

During quarantine my good friends and I started a book club, the book we read for September (yikes I’m still not done) is Say Nothing: A Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland. It’s about The Troubles in Northern Ireland and follows a few IRA members. In order to try and gain leverage to free some of their members from jail, the IRA started conducting art heists and stealing some insanely famous and valuable paintings.

Ok, ok, ok very excited about this case!! It is pretty recent (part of it takes place in 2020), it involves robbery, forgery, mystery, escapes, a discovery, a major twist, and authentication. We will experience this rollercoaster together so strap in!

No real crazy crime here just going to get a wee bit controversial (potentially) talking about vandalism and art and Banksy. Banksy is a special case because he is technically a vandal BUT his work is treated very differently than any other artist/vandal. Should it be? Shouldn’t it be? These are the questions.

We have everything fun and interesting in this one. A big (and when I say big I mean BIG) painting, a famous artist, a murder plot (?????), and bonus vandalism! This post has it all!