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Tuesday, January 3, 2017

HIGH STAKE ART HEISTS / FOUND AND STILL LOST



FOUND.  Vincent van Gogh’s “Seascape at Scheveningen,” 1882 was also recovered recently after being stolen in 2002
Vincent van Gogh's “Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen,” 1884-1885, was one of two stolen Van Gogh paintings recovered by Italian anti-mafia police, the Van Gogh Museum announced in late September. 

The Italian authorities in Naples also recovered was van Gogh's “Seascape at Scheveningen,” 1882, which was stolen from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam in 2002.


FOUND.  Vincent van Gogh's “Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen,” 1884-1885 was recovered recently after being stolen in 2002.
The Associated Press reports that the van Gogh paintings were found during a raid of the Camorra crime clan as part of a crackdown targeting cocaine trafficking. The paintings and tens of millions of euros worth of property were seized by police.


LOST.  Willem de Kooning’s “Women – Ochre,” 1954-55.  Missing since 1985.
Unfortunately, Willem de Kooning's “Woman — Ochre” (oil on canvas, 1954-55) remains missing after being sliced out of its frame at the
University of Arizona Museum of Art in 1985 by two thieves, a man and a woman.  Art experts estimate the de Kooning’s missing work is valued in recent markets at $160 million.   The Tucson museum did not have security cameras in 1985.

The Tucson heist pales in comparison with Rembrandt's 1633 painting “The Storm on the Sea of Galilee” remains missing.  The painting was one of 13 works stolen in 1990 from Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.


LOST.  Rembrandt’s “Storm on the Sea of Galilee,” 1633.  Missing since 1990.
Stolen in 1990, the works include: Rembrandt’s “Storm on the Sea of Galilee” (1633), “A Lady and Gentleman in Black” (1633) and a “Self Portrait” (1634), an etching on paper; Vermeer’s “The Concert” (1658–1660); and Govaert Flinck’s “Landscape with an Obelisk” (1638); and a Chinese vase or Ku, all taken from the Dutch Room on the second floor.

Also stolen from the second floor were five works on paper by the Impressionist artist Edgar Degas and a finial from the top of a pole support for a Napoleonic silk flag, both from the Short Gallery. Edouard Manet’s “Chez Tortoni” (1878–1880) was taken from the Blue Room on the first floor.  Thieves were two men, who tied up museum guards after gaining entrance by being dressed as Boston policemen.


LOST. “Chez Tortoni” is a painting by the French artist Édouard Manet, painted ca. 1878–1880.   Missing since 1990.
The Gardner Museum reports it continues to actively investigate any and all leads related to the theft. This ongoing investigation is conducted by the Museum’s director of security in cooperation with the FBI and the US Attorney’s Office. The focus of the investigation today is on the return of the artworks. The Museum continues to issue the call to the holders of the works to conserve them in recommended temperatures and humidity levels. The Gardner Museum is offering a reward of $5 million for information leading to the recovery of these works in good condition and, with the FBI and US Attorney, can ensure complete confidentiality.

Anyone with information about the stolen artworks and/or the investigation should contact Anthony Amore, Director of Security at the Gardner Museum, at 617 278 5114 or theft@gardnermuseum.org.



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