Art
Three Antiquities Traffickers and Their Fall From Grace
Amid a spate of high-profile repatriations of looted cultural objects, we took a closer look at some of the most infamous players in the illicit market.
Art Crime
News
British Museum Director Resigns Amid Theft Scandal
The reported thefts by one of the museum’s own employees have also fueled new calls for the repatriation of the Benin Bronzes and Parthenon marbles.
Interview
An Art Thief’s Tale of Love and Seduction
Stéphane Breitwieser stole several billion dollars worth of art from more than 150 museums before he was caught in 2001.
News
Activists Protest at Rubin Museum-Backed Exhibition in Nepal
The protesters said the Rubin Museum is using the Itumbaha exhibition to launder its public image and distract from the potentially looted objects in its collection.
News
Challenging a 50-Year-Old Factoid About the Illegal Antiquities Trade
The assertion that the illicit antiquities trade is “the world’s third largest, second only to arms and narcotics” is unsubstantiated and damaging, a new paper argues.
News
Strange Art Goes Missing From Beetlejuice 2 Set
Police say thieves stole one of the film's iconic abstract sculptures and a lamppost with a “distinctive pumpkin decoration.”
News
Art Dealer Adam Lindemann Arrested in Montauk
Lindemann, owner of the gallery Venus Over Manhattan, faces charges of criminal trespassing and harassment.
News
Disgraced Dealer’s Daughter to Forfeit $12M and Allegedly Smuggled Statue
The agreement reached by Douglas Latchford’s estate marks the largest forfeiture of looted antiquities profits to date.
News
Artist Who Faked Native Identity Gets 18-Month Sentence
Jerry Chris Van Dyke claimed he was a member of the Nez Perce Tribe to sell his art.
News
Alleged Hezbollah Financier Charged in Art and Diamonds Scheme
Nazem Ahmad disguised millions of dollars’ worth of transactions to evade US sanctions, according to the indictment.
News
LA Auctioneer Admits to Helping Create Fake Basquiats
Michael Barzman of North Hollywood confessed to lying to the FBI about the provenance of forgeries exhibited at the Orlando Museum of Art.
News
FBI’s New Stolen Art App Leaves a Lot to Be Desired
Users can search for stolen works and submit tips, all while navigating the aesthetic world — and technology — of a 1990s spy movie.