In Brief
Woman Steals $17,500 Rock from Yoko Ono Installation
The perpetrator, who was caught on camera, took the rock from a participatory installation called "Stone Piece" at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto.
Art Crime
News
314 Rare Books Stolen from Pittsburgh's Carnegie Library
There are generally two types of rare book thieves — ones that steal for money and book hoarders.
News
Theft of Terracotta Warrior Thumb Provokes Fierce Response from China
An unnamed Chinese official wants the perpetrator to be punished — and says the museum should pay for failing to protect priceless artifacts.
In Brief
Manhattan District Attorney Forms Special Team to Investigate Antiquities Trafficking
After a string of high-profile raids and restitutions, the Manhattan DA has created a formal squad to focus on the trade in illegal antiquities.
In Brief
Artist Sean Scully’s Former Assistant Allegedly Stole Work to Sell at Auction
Arturo Rucci, a former assistant to Scully, has been arrested under suspicion of stealing a triptych from the artist's studio and consigning it for auction at Bonhams.
In Brief
Vigilantes Posing as City Workers Steal Street Art in Paris
Some 15 tile pieces by the French street artist Invader have been pried off city's walls by two men claiming to be municipal workers.
In Brief
Amede-No! Modigliani Show Shut Down After 21 Works Deemed Likely Fakes
The exhibition, at the Doge's Palace in Genoa, included pieces on loan from private collections and major institutions like the Musée de l'Orangerie and the Fitzwilliam Museum.
In Brief
Artist Zwelethu Mthethwa Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Murder
“The courts need to send a clear message to tackle the scourge of gender-based violence," said Judge Patricia Goliath when she delivered the sentence.
In Brief
Gardner Museum Doubles Reward to $10M for Return of Art Stolen in 1990
The museum's board of trustees hopes the sum will lead to the return of the 13 works stolen in 1990, which are collectively valued at over $500 million.
Art
When Dissection Was a Criminal Punishment Worse Than Death
Harnessing the Power of the Criminal Corpse is an online exhibition that unearths the macabre history of anatomy and criminal punishment.
In Brief
Florida Art Thief Drives Stolen Car 1,000 Miles to Ask Obama for Pardon
Miami resident and confessed art thief Marcus Sanford Patmon was arrested on Wednesday after driving a stolen car to Arlington, Virginia, where "he was looking to be pardoned by the Obama administration before the Trump administration came in," according to an Arlington Police Department spokesperso
News
As Artist’s Murder Trial Drags On, Display of His Work Sparks Uproar
A work by the South African photographer Zwelethu Mthethwa, who is still on trial for the 2013 murder of a sex worker in Cape Town, was included in an exhibition intended to empower women.