Julianna Cox
Mrs. Templar
Art and Music Appreciation
11/06/2017
Writing Assignment: Art Theft Art theft is more common than you think. According to the FBI, art and cultural property crime can include theft, fraud, looting, and trafficking across state and international lines. This type of crime can happen virtually anywhere at any given time. Many agencies have vowed to bring an end to the common crime of art theft. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently dedicated an Art Crime Team of sixteen special agents. Each person on the team is responsible for an assigned geographic region. The team must go through the FBI’s Art Theft Program to receive specialized training in art and cultural property investigations, as …show more content…
The ALR was established in London in 1990 when the International Foundation for Art Research (IFAR) wanted to deter international art theft. They established an archive in 1976 and began publishing the “Stolen Art Alert”. The ALR has a range of services including item registration, search and recovery services to collectors, the art trade, insurers, and worldwide law enforcement agencies. (ALR 1) In March 1990, two men disguised as Boston police officers gained entrance to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum located in Boston, Massachusetts and successfully stole five hundred million dollars worth of art. Among the thirteen priceless works stolen were Rembrandt’s The Sea of Galilee and Vermeer’s The Concert, which was one of only thirty-five of the artist’s surviving works. The Gardner museum offered a reward of five million dollars. However, as the years passed, not a single work of art has been recovered. (PBS 1) Art theft is such a costly criminal enterprise because the works of art are unique and rare. Works of art can capture a part of culture or history. Sometimes a work of art can capture the changes in technique from the artist over the years. Also, there can only be one original work of art. Knowing this information can make works of art more valuable because they have historical and emotional meaning behind
Mrs. Templar
Art and Music Appreciation
11/06/2017
Writing Assignment: Art Theft Art theft is more common than you think. According to the FBI, art and cultural property crime can include theft, fraud, looting, and trafficking across state and international lines. This type of crime can happen virtually anywhere at any given time. Many agencies have vowed to bring an end to the common crime of art theft. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently dedicated an Art Crime Team of sixteen special agents. Each person on the team is responsible for an assigned geographic region. The team must go through the FBI’s Art Theft Program to receive specialized training in art and cultural property investigations, as …show more content…
The ALR was established in London in 1990 when the International Foundation for Art Research (IFAR) wanted to deter international art theft. They established an archive in 1976 and began publishing the “Stolen Art Alert”. The ALR has a range of services including item registration, search and recovery services to collectors, the art trade, insurers, and worldwide law enforcement agencies. (ALR 1) In March 1990, two men disguised as Boston police officers gained entrance to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum located in Boston, Massachusetts and successfully stole five hundred million dollars worth of art. Among the thirteen priceless works stolen were Rembrandt’s The Sea of Galilee and Vermeer’s The Concert, which was one of only thirty-five of the artist’s surviving works. The Gardner museum offered a reward of five million dollars. However, as the years passed, not a single work of art has been recovered. (PBS 1) Art theft is such a costly criminal enterprise because the works of art are unique and rare. Works of art can capture a part of culture or history. Sometimes a work of art can capture the changes in technique from the artist over the years. Also, there can only be one original work of art. Knowing this information can make works of art more valuable because they have historical and emotional meaning behind