In Brief
Baroque Masterpiece by Guercino Stolen from Italian Church
This week, a large 17th-century Baroque painting by Italian artist Guercino went missing in the northern Italian city of Modena.
Art Crime
In Brief
Criminals Love Weapons, Drugs, and … Art
Art theft is the third-highest grossing criminal trade in the world, preceded only by drugs and weapons. This claim comes from a smart, extensive Newsweek article covering a three-day conference held at New York University Law School last month called "Art Crime and Cultural Heritage: Fakes, Forgeri
In Brief
Stolen Matisse Returned to Venezuela
A Matisse painting valued at $3 million was returned to Venezuela yesterday, after disappearing from an art museum there at least a decade prior, Reuters reported.
In Brief
Instagram Brags Land Artist in Jail
Graffiti writer Peter Podsiadlo, aka SEMP or @semp516 on Instagram, was arraigned on 23 felony counts of vandalism in Queens Criminal Court yesterday.
In Brief
Helly Nahmad Being Sued for Allegedly Hiding Painting Stolen by Nazis
First it was the accusations of gambling, and now Manhattan art dealer Helly Nahmad, and his dad, David Nahmad, are being "sued for allegedly hiding a $20 million painting stolen by the Nazis," according to the New York Post.
News
Pastor Convicted for Selling Fake Damien Hirsts
Kevin Sutherland, the Florida pastor on trial for attempting to sell counterfeit Damien Hirst works, has been convicted in New York State Supreme Court. Jurors found Sutherland guilty of attempted grand larceny in the second degree.
Interview
Prada Marfa Vandal Speaks
Shortly after last week's incident at "Prada Marfa," Hyperallergic interviewed Joseph Magnano, aka 9271977, the man who vandalized Elmgreen & Dragset's sculpture in the Texas desert.
News
Authorities Uncover Stolen Ancient Roman Sarcophagus Lid in New York
The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Loretta E. Lynch, has filed a complaint for the forfeiture of an ancient Roman marble sarcophagus lid featuring a sculpture of a sleeping woman on a couch. The lid was found in a storage facility in Queens and is believed to have been
News
Artist Smashes Ai Weiwei Vase to Protest Museum's Snub of Local Artists
Miami-based artist Maximo Caminero, 51, hurled himself into the media spotlight when he dropped a vase that was part of Ai Weiwei's According to What? retrospective currently at the Perez Art Museum Miami.
Books
Gathering the Phantoms of Lost Art
Art history is very much a haunted field, with the specters of works obliterated, lost, hidden, or just vanished floating around it. Our visual culture is defined as much by destruction as it is by creation.
News
Artist Zwelethu Mthethwa's Murder Trial Postponed Amid Protests
Last spring South African artist Zwelethu Mthethwa was charged with the murder of a 23-year-old woman named Nokuphila Kumalo. Following Mthethwa's May arrest and subsequent release on bail, the case was remanded twice. The artist is now scheduled to appear in court again at the end of this month.
News
Former Imelda Marcos Assistant Convicted in Impressionist Art Fraud
Four Impressionist paintings stolen from the Philippines surface in possible of Imelda Marcos's longtime personal secretary, Vilma Bautista.