Stolen: The Gallery of Missing Masterpieces
An Account of Famous Artworks Lost or Stolen in the Past Century
Sep 17, 2008
In Stolen: The Gallery of Missing Masterpieces (Cameron House, 2008) Jonathan Webb explores the many hurdles and obstructions that must be overcome by those trying to trace lost and stolen artworks, the convoluted legal system that makes bringing the perpetrators of art crimes to justice, and the complex factors that determine the value of a particular work of art, antique or collection.
Missing, Presumed Stolen
With the assistance of Julian Radcliffe and the records of The Art Loss Register, Webb presents well researched details of numerous art crimes and their perpetrators and victims.
With stories including the theft soon after completion of Andy Warhol’s 30 Coloured Maos (Reversal Series) and the theft from a private home in Massachusetts of Paul Cézanne’s Bouilloire et fruits, Webb engages his readers with tales of the loss and occasional recovery of significant artworks. Part art history, part crime thriller, this book will fascinate readers.
War Crimes, Looting and Grave Robbing
An entire chapter is dedicated to the artworks lost and confiscated during the Nazi regime and another to the destruction of antiquities through warfare, social turmoil and looting.
In the case of the former, the confiscation of artworks, many of which were later given or sold to a third party, has created a network of ownership confusion that for some continues to remain unravelled to this day. In the latter case, trade in antiquities brings little money to the often poor locals who commit the original crime, but is a lucrative undertaking for those higher up the artwork food chain.
The Value of Art to Society
To describe this book as merely interesting stories would be to disregard the intelligent and considered discussion that is incorporated into the text relating to the intrinsic value of the artworks, their cultural significance and the difficulty of quantifying what resources it is appropriate to allocate to their retrieval.
Webb argues that artworks are of fundamental significance to the culture that they represent, in many cases acting as a historical record and as such have a value far greater than their monetary worth.
The Art Loss Register
Maintaining the world’s largest private database of lost and stolen art, antiques and collectables, The Art Loss Register was established in London in 1991 with its’ origins in New York not-for-profit organisation The International Foundation for Art Research.
Julian Radcliffe, Chairman of The Art Loss Register, provides the introduction to the text. He has extensive experience in the recovery of lost artworks and the commitment of The Art Loss Register to relocating stolen art is evident in many of the stories of attempts to recover stolen artworks recounted in the book.
Not Just an Art Book
Stolen: The Gallery of Missing Masterpieces is an art book that can be read and enjoyed by anyone, even those with no understanding of the finer points of art appreciation. With daring crimes, shady global art deals and convoluted courtroom battles, this book shares the stories of the crimes, criminals, art lovers, investors, law enforcement and lawyers involved in the disappearance and sometime recovery of significant artworks.
For those with a passion for art and an appreciation of its value in more than monetary terms, this book also highlights the complex nature of the value we place upon art, discusses the issues relating using public resources to locate missing artworks and the explores the complex legal negotiations required to ascertain the rightful owners.
More than a simple listing of missing artworks, Stolen: The Gallery of Missing Masterpieces is a thoughtful consideration of the value countries and individuals place upon the safe preservation of their culture as represented in paintings, sculptures and other significant artworks.
Stolen: The Gallery of Missing Masterpieces (ISBN: 978-174173486-7, 255 pages)
