A bit of a spoiler in the title but I’m excited to be able to deliver a happy ending for once. It’s also interesting to look at the work that goes into recovering a missing artwork and how much had to be done for the police, in this case, by passionate historians. 

The Nazca Lines are a series of giant geoglyphs found in the Peruvian coastal plain about 400km south of Lima. How were they created? Why were they created? Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 these giant creations are a mystery to researchers.

This is a bit of a rollercoaster. I am going to spoil it for you a little and tell you that the painting has been recovered but how was it able to be stolen and why is a nosey gas station attendant the key to the thief’s capture? I’ll tell you!

I know you’re thinking that this is a click bait title but I promise this is a real thing that art history scholars have been looking into. Spoiler, the world hasn’t ended but it’s interesting to examine the symbols and their meanings which lead to this conclusion.

Folk artist Maud Lewis from Nova Scotia didn’t get to enjoy fame or riches from her paintings during her lifetime. In the past few years, however, her work is gaining popularity and as the value of the pieces go up, sadly, so does the likelihood of theft.

For OG readers you’ll remember that one of the first posts ever was about the slashing of Newman’s Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow, and Blue III but he actually had two other instances of people attacking his works.

Being one of the most, if not the most, iconic painting in the world comes with a bit of a target for vandals and attackers. People think that attacking the Mona Lisa will bring attention to them and to their cause. Maybe that’s why it’s been targeted so many times.

Note that I said robberieS in the title, not just robbery. This painting by van Gogh has been stolen not once but twice from the same museum in Egypt. How was the painting recovered the first time and how was it allowed to be stolen again? Where is it now?

Anish Kapoor’s Dirty Corner is a modern art installation that used to be housed in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles until these incidents. This sculpture was vandalized twice. For what reason? Why did this spur such a heated debate about what is able to be displayed as public art and who gets to decide?

Sometimes referred to as one of the most successful thieves in Canadian history, John Tillman made a name for himself stealing. Really anything he could get his hands on but he especially targeted precious books, artefacts, and works of art amassing over 10,000 items in his home in Nova Scotia.

Note the all-important question mark here. This controversial painting has been authenticated and then disputed and debated over and over again. Let’s investigate whether we think this is a legit van Gogh or not.

On New Year’s Eve 1999 everyone in Oxford England was partying, enjoying fireworks, and celebrating the new millennium. Actually, let me correct that, almost everyone. That night, using the festivities as cover, someone, or someones, stole Cézanne’s View of Auvers-sur-Oise and it’s never been seen again.

This week is going to be a little different, going to be discussing artist (scammer?? bootlegger??) Eric Doeringer. He isn’t in any trouble and hasn’t done anything wrong technically but his trade is copying art from other artists and selling those copies as copies for his own profit. Lots to unpack. 

Stephen Hahn was a respected gallery owner and art dealer in New York City, he frequently talked about being on the cutting edge of safety and security for the pieces that he had for sale. Unfortunately, he was proven wrong one night in 1969 when seven works were stolen from him.

This is another unsolved mystery and it is on the FBI’s top 10 list of unsolved art theft crimes. A Renoir oil painting was stolen in 2011 and the perpetrator has completely baffled police. No clues and no leads have come up, where could the painting be?

42 years ago there was a robbery at an East German castle. The perpetrators made off with a real bounty; five paintings done by masters or other notable artists. They got away free and clear and the paintings haven’t been seen since. That is, until this year.

Michelangelo’s statue of David is maybe one of the most famous statues in the world. He’s printed on t-shirts, aprons, tea towels, even underwear. Most people know him but what has remained debated is what he’s holding in his right hand (the one not holding the sling).

Looting of artifacts from countries at war and under colonial rule isn’t anything new but the sheer number of things removed from Iraq, especially during the Iraq War is not to be believed. Who let this happen and where are the artifacts now?

Almost one year after Pablo Picasso’s death, in February 1974 a man enters the MOMA with a plan. He walks directly up to Picasso’s famous masterpiece Guernica and paints three, foot-high words across it in red spray paint. But who was he and what was his motivation? Even more interestingly, where is he now?

Non-Fungible Tokens (or NFTs) have been taking the internet by storm. They can be anything but those in the form of digital art pieces have become a prime target for scammers. Since most people don’t know a ton about NFTs and this emerging market they can easily be taken for a ride.