Film
A Modern Update to the "Gentleman Thief" Genre
Starring Omar Sy, the French Netflix series Lupin is a delightful crime thriller.
Art Crime
Opinion
The British Museum Isn't Doing Enough to Fight Illegal Antiquities Trafficking
While the museum presents its attempt to identify trafficked antiquities as an altruistic enterprise, its policing of the antiquities market also distracts from its historic role in acquiring looted objects.
Film
Fargo’s TV Adaptation Is a Folksy, Homespun Tale of Murder and Mayhem
The series has returned for a fourth season of pitch-black humor and quirky characters.
Opinion
A Benin Bronze With Fishy Provenance Goes to Auction
While conversations about historic monuments ignite public debate, a small sculpture which was likely looted heads to auction at Christie’s Paris.
Art
“Looting”: The Revolt of the Oppressed
The genesis of the term “loot” in colonial India has racist origins. Now, after the US president called for the killing of those “looting,” its origins become increasingly significant.
Film
An Unlikely Friendship Between a Painter and the Man Who Stole Her Artwork
The new documentary The Painter and the Thief finds the complexities in what could have been a basic feel-good tale.
Opinion
The True Cost of Museum Fakes
The Museum of the Bible recently admitted all of its Dead Sea Scroll fragments are forgeries. But when fake antiquities are donated to museums, taxpayers lose.
News
The Most Valuable Stolen Artworks Across Time
On the anniversary of the Gardner Museum heist, learn more about the 10 most expensive missing artworks.
In Brief
Artworks by Famed Street Artist "Phase 2" Stolen From Lower East Side Studio
The late Phase 2, née Michael Lawrence Marrow, is credited as the originator of the popular bubble letter or "softies" style.
News
A Long-Lost de Kooning Is Being Restored, But Will Always Bear the Scars of Its Theft
Willem de Kooning’s “Woman–Ochre” was missing for over 30 years. Now recovered, it shows signs of mishandling and amateur restoration that are difficult to fix.
News
23 Arrested and 10,000 Artifacts Seized in Crackdown on Archaeological Trafficking Ring
A sophisticated organized crime group used bulldozers and advanced metal detectors to excavate ancient artifacts in southern Italy, and deployed facilitators across Europe to traffic them.
In Brief
Court Rules That Picasso’s Electrician Stole 271 of the Artist’s Works
Pierre and Danielle Le Guennec's Picasso stockpile was estimated to be worth €70 million (~$77.5 million).