The greatest unsolved Art Thefts

by G. Fernández – theartwolf.com
Considering the spectacular prices paid in recent times for the works by the greatest names in the history of Art, it is not really surprising that these masterworks have turned into coveted items for any art robber. The vast majority of the most famous art thefts -from the Gioconda in 1911 to the very recent theft of Edvard Munch’s “The scream” in Oslo- are now solved, but nevertheless there are still a considerable number of stolen masterworks whose whereabouts are still unknown. Here are some interesting examples.

CASE 1: FOR A (LARGE) FISTFUL OF DOLLARS…

If you want to become rich thanks to Art, but you lack of any artistic talent and neither you nor your family own a rich collection of Impressionist or Modern Art, you still have a last possibility: find the 12 masterworks stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston in 1990, and then proceed to claim the $5 MILLION reward. The stolen works included examples of exceptional quality, such as three works by Rembrandt van Rijn (“Storm at the sea of Galilee”, his only seascape, valued at at least $150 million; an extremely appealing self-portrait, and a double portrait of a lady and a gentleman) and an exceptional work by Vermeer, entitled “The concert” (also valued at at least $150 million). This case is the most important Art theft still unsolved.

Rembrandt – Storm at the sea of Galilee

CASE 2: SECRET TAKEN TO GRAVE

The Ghent Altarpiece, painted by the brothers Hubert and Jan van Eyck, and now exhibited at the Ghent Cathedral Museum, is considered to be the supreme masterwork of Flemish painting. But in 1934, one of its smallest panels, located at the bottom left of the altarpiece and depicting “The Just Judges”, was stolen by an unknown thief, who demanded a rescue of 1 million Belgian Francs.

Only 6 months after the robbery, Arsène Goedertier revealed on his deathbed that he was the thief who had stolen the panel, and that he was the only man who knew the whereabouts of the painting. He died without revealing his secret.

The panel was never found, and in 1945 it was replaced by a high-quality copy (shown below). Today, most experts believe the painting to be destroyed, but there is still a last hope that this pivotal piece of Flemish painting could be recovered.

Van Eyck – The Just judges

CASE 3: THE CARNIVAL THEFT

On February 26th 2006, while almost everyone in Rio de Janeiro was dancing at the “sambódromo”, a group of armed thefts stole four important modern paintings from the Chacara do Ceu Museum; among them a Picasso titled -quite ironically- “The dance”, and a “Seascape” by Claude Monet. The paintings -not insured- are still lost.

Picasso – The dance

CASE 4: ORDINARY (NOT) DECENT CRIMINAL

The robbery of a masterwork by Baroque master Michelangelo Merisi (called Caravaggio) in Ireland was the plot of the great movie “Ordinary Decent Criminal”, directed by Thaddeus O’Sullivan. But in this case, the criminals who stole the appealing “Nativity” by the Italian artist, valued at over $20 million, are not as romantic as that one played by Kevin Spacey, and could be related to the fearful Sicilian Mafia.

Caravaggio – Nativity

CASE 5: THE DA VINCI MYSTERY

In the whole history of art, no other name has created more discussions, debates and studies than Leonardo da Vinci, and, among many reasons, that is caused by the fact of that some important examples of his pictorial oeuvre have been lost. One of the most interesting and serious debates related to the authenticity of a painting by Leonardo is the one that studies the two versions of the -allegedly lost-“Madonna of the Yarnwinder”. One of them was stolen from the Drumlanrig Castle in Scotland, and after the theft, many critics declared the painting to be authentic and valued at over $65 million. Updated: the work has been recovered.

Leonardo – Madonna of the yarnwinder