The new documentary The Painter and the Thief finds the complexities in what could have been a basic feel-good tale.
Art Theft
Posted inNews
The Most Valuable Stolen Artworks Across Time
On the anniversary of the Gardner Museum heist, learn more about the 10 most expensive missing artworks.
Posted inIn 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.
Posted inNews
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.
Posted inIn 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).
Posted inIn Brief
1,200 Stolen Paintings Were Discovered in a Los Angeles Storage Locker
Of a total 2,300 missing paintings by Scottish painter Benjamin Creme, 1,200 have been recovered. They are valued at around $777,000.
Posted inIn Brief
Oh, Crap! Thieves Swipe Solid Gold Toilet Worth $6M
Maurizio Cattelan’s golden throne was stolen from the Blenheim Art Foundation.
Posted inFilm
Short on Substance, The Goldfinch Falters on Screen
The adaptation of Donna Tartt’s bestseller sacrifices its nuances to fit in all of its plot points.
Posted inIn Brief
New Yorker Arrested and Charged for Stealing a $16,000 Sculpture from a Manhattan Gallery
Surveillance camera footage shows the suspect allegedly walking off with the sculpture in broad daylight.
Posted inIn Brief
World’s Most Successful Art Thief Told His Secrets in a GQ Interview
Unmotivated by profit, Stéphane Breitwieser stole over a billion dollars worth of art and artifacts to fill his obsessive treasure trove, which he stored away in an attic.
Posted inIn 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.
Posted inNews
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.
