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Top 10 unrecovered art crimes according to FBI

What unites ancient artifacts from Iraq, Gardner Museum in Boston, paintings by Caravaggio, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Cezanne, Dali and a Stradivarius violin? They all appear in the list of ten high-profile art crimes, recorded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Some occured more than forty years ago, some happened less than five years ago. But all these atrocities have something in common: they have not yet been recovered, fully or partially.


Top 10 unrecovered art crimes according to FBI

1. Thousands of Iraqi artifacts.

In March/April 2003, Iraqi cultural institutions and archaeological sites suffered outstanding losse


In March/April 2003, Iraqi cultural institutions and archaeological sites suffered outstanding losses of priceless historical artifacts. This is the most large-scale crime listed, since robbery and looting took inconceivable sizes. Among the missing were the diorite statue of King Entemena of Lavash, the Sumerian State, and almost 5 thousands of cylindrical seals. In February 2005, the FBI found and repatriated eight cylinder seals, and on July 25, 2006, announced the recovery of the statue of Entemena.

Above: 60-centimetre stone statue, one of the most precious artifacts, came to the USA from Syria. Photo: The New York Times via Redux.
However, from 7 to 10 thousands artifacts are still not found. This crime against art is the first on the FBI list.

2. Rembrandt from Gardner Museum

On March 18, 1990, two men dressed as police officers entered the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. They tied up the guards and stole 13 works of art including paintings by Degas, Vermeer and Manet. The most valuable trophies robbers got were three canvases by Rembrandt, in particular, The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, the only seascape of the artist. The total value of the stolen is estimated at approximately half a billion dollars, and the case has become the largest property crime in US history.
  • Johannes Vermeer, The Concert (ca. 1658-1660)
  • Rembrandt van Rijn, A Lady and Gentleman in Black (1633)
The museum is offering a $ 5 million reward for the return of its treasures. For almost 27 years their places in the exhibition have been marked with empty frames…

3. Stolen Nativity

This crime is the oldest in the FBI list. It occurred in October 1969. Two unknown men entered the Oratory of San Lorenzo in Palermo, Italy and removed the Caravaggio painting Nativity with San Lorenzo and San Francesco from its frame
It has always been important for artists and art collectors how to frame their works of art. We can paraphrase Shakespeare and say,

“What’s in a frame? That which we call a picture
In an improper frame will look less nice.”

Or, perhaps, the picture’s message will be obscured by too ornate or too plain framing. Here, we present a retrospective journey into the history of framing and its evolution, with illustrations and an expert’s commentary. Read more
. Investigators agree that the local Sicilian Mafia was involved in the theft. One of its former members, a few years ago, claimed that the canvas size of 2,68×1,97 meters and worth a $ 20 million was held in a farm outbuilding. There it had been allegedly nibbled by rats and pigs, and the remains burned. However, some experts believe that only crazy people could come up with the idea to store the masterpiece in such a place.
British Sky TV Corporation recently commissioned a highly accurate photocopy of Nativity, and now re


British Sky TV Corporation recently commissioned a highly accurate photocopy of Nativity, and now replica is hanging on the place of the original.

4. A violin having three names

This is perhaps the most cynical theft in the list. Stradivarius violin had been stolen from the New


This is perhaps the most cynical theft in the list. Stradivarius violin had been stolen from the New York apartment of Erica Morini in October 1995, while the 91-year-old musician was in the hospital. Most probably, the robbery was done by someone from the closest entourage of the owner. Erica’s friend, who reported a loss, has found no traces of tampering. Erica Morini died shortly after the theft. Since then, the violin is called Davidoff-Morini Stradivarius.

Left: Erica Morini playing the violin. Photo: AFP

The instrument, purchased by Morini father in 1923, estimated at no less than $3 million. The new owner will hardly be able to appear with it in public: music experts immediately recognize the priceless object.

5. Two Van Goghs

In December 2002, two thieves climbed a ladder to the roof of the Vincent Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. In just a few minutes they broke a window and stole two paintings: Van Gogh’s View of the Sea at Scheveningen and Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen. Both are valued at approximately $30 million.

6. Theft with fireworks

On the night of January 1, 2000, under the roar of fireworks that accompanied the celebration of the millennium, a thief broke into the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England. First he threw a smoke bomb into the hall, which "blinded" security cameras, then he put on a gas mask. While the stunned guards tried to understand what was happening and what caused fire, the robber grabbed a Cezanne landscape
The development of the genre from antiquity to the present day: how did religion and the invention of oil painting contribute to the development of the genre in Europe, and why was the Hudson River so important? Read more
View of Auvers-sur-Oise and has gone for good. Valued at £3 million, the painting has been described as an important work illustrating the transition from very early to mature Cezanne painting.

7. Murals of the doyenne

Top 10 unrecovered art crimes according to FBI
In July 2002, two oil paintings by Maxfield Parrish were stolen during a robbery of a gallery in West Hollywood, California. The paintings are two panels from a series commissioned by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney -- an accomplished sculptor, art patron and the doyenne of the art world -- as murals to decorate her 5th Avenue mansion in New York. The paintings estimated at approximately $4 million both, were cut from their frames during the theft.

8. Crime with dances

Salvador Dali. Two balconies
Two balconies
1929, 23.5×34.5 cm
This robbery happened in broad daylight and in front of large crowds. On February 24, 2006, about 4:00 PM four armed men burst into the Museu Chacara do Céu, Rio de Janeiro, took aim at guards and removed from the walls Two Balconies by Salvador Dali -- the only painting of the artist in public exhibition in Latin America -- Luxembourg Garden by Henri Matisse, Dance by Pablo Picasso, and Marine
Marine art or seascape is a kind of landscape that depicts the sea. Specific paintings or engravings of a sea theme are also called marines. The word marine (it. marina) comes from the Latin marinus — “of sea”. Read more
by Claude Monet.
  • Henri Matisse, 1905, Luxembourg Garden 40.5 cm x 32 cm
  • Pablo Picasso, 1956, Dance 100 cm x 81 cm
Curiously enough, crowds of Brazilians danced to the rhythm of samba drums as they celebrated Carnival Saturday in front of the museum at that day so the thieves also put on dance costumes. The value of the stolen items has not been estimated.

9. Miniature from the Green Continent

On June 10, 2007, A Cavalier, a self portrait in oil on wood panel by Dutch Master Frans Van Mieris,



On June 10, 2007, A Cavalier, a self portrait in oil on wood panel by Dutch Master Frans Van Mieris, was stolen from the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. The masterpiece was stolen while the gallery was open for public viewing. The relatively small portrait -- it measures 20×16 cm -- is estimated at over $1 million.







Left: Frans Van Mieris, A Cavalier (a self-portrait).

10. Renoir takeaway

On September 8, 2011, a private collector form Houston has lost the Madeleine Leaning on Her Elbow with Flowers in Her Hair by Pierre Auguste Renoir during an armed robbery in her Houston home (USA). The owner herself pointed at the portrait when the attacker broke into a house and threatened her with a large-caliber, semi-automatic handgun and demanded money and valuables. In the FBI summary he was described as a white male, 18 to 26 years old, who weighs about 160 pounds and is approximately 5'10" tall.
If there are any suspicious fellas among your acquaintances, you can earn. A private insurer is offering up to $50,000 for information leading to the recovery of the painting that costs $1 million.
What do you think, will they found anything from the FBI list?