Over the 20th century the world of arts was often shaken - and even stirred - by several major art thefts. All over the world, thiefs of all kinds, better or worse, knowing much about art or being simple diletants, tried the security systems and often took away priceless masterpieces, some of which were never recovered again. Or at least not until now. Among the greatest art thefts of the 20th century were those featured here.
Stealing the Duke : when the rich collector Charles Writghtman anounced, in 1961, that he intended purchasing Goya's work, the "Portrait of the Duke of Wellington", the Spain was in outrage. Yet, the collector didn't have the chance. Less than three weeks after exhibiting the work at the National Gallery, the valuable masterpiece was stolen. It will only be a short time until the thief surrended, and Goya's work was recovered. A happy ending for an art theft.
The Italian Job : in 1975, in the month of February, several works of art were stolen from the Duke Palace in Urbino. Among these were two works by Pierro della Francesco and another one by Raphael, simply cut out of their frames. It seemed the thiefs didn't have much respect for art. Fortunatelly, the case was cracked in just a year and the works were recovered, all the wasy from Switzerland.
The French and the Thefts : the biggest art theft in modern French history took place in November 1985, when the Marmottan Museum in Paris lost no less than nine works of art, among which a Monet. The works will be recovered in the end, in 1991, after the police proved that the hit was masterminded by a member of the feared Japanese Yakuza.
Manhattan Missing 18 paintings : the Colnaghi Art Gallery in Manhattan was one of the most important and appreciated places for art lovers in Manhattan. And the owners were very proud of their security systems. They were the finest, impossible to fool. Yet, at the beginning of 1988, several thiefs tooks upon the bet and managed to enter the gallery. Since they couldn't leave empty-handed, they left with no less than 18 paintings and 10 drawings. Hard to enter ? Impossible to steal ? Priceless works of art ? You add it up and do the math.
Van Gogh. Three times Van Gogh. : while it may seem impossible to sell a Van Gogh, even on the black market, there were thieves who tried to do it. Not a very smart thing to do, yet there were some who tried it. In December 1988 three works by Vincent van Gogh were stolen from the Kroller – Muller Museum in Holland, among which there was an early version of the famous “Potato Eaters”. By 1989, after the thieves unsuccessfully demanded over 2.5 million dollars as a reward, the works were returned to the museum.
These were just some of the art thefts which took place not many years ago, in the past century. It is safe to say that this worldwide phenomenon is bound to continue. As long as there is art, there will be art thefts.
