NCJ Number
88573
Journal
Revue de la police nationale Issue: 118 Dated: (November 1982) Pages: 5-17
Date Published
1982
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Art theft has in recent years become the second most serious international crime form after drug smuggling: estimates are that between 450 and 500 valuable works of art disappear each day throughout the world. France suffers about 7-8 percent of the annual incidence of art theft.
Abstract
Art theft is a unique type of crime with respect to the nature of the objects being stolen, the victims, the perpetrators' motivation and modus operandi, and the networking of the illicit art market. Art thefts pillage the cultural heritage of a nation and victimize not only private owners of valued aesthetic or historical objects, but the public at large. In France, the most commonly struck sites are churches and palaces, while in the United States, museums are victimized most, despite the security features at their modern facilities. In individual cases, art theft has been motivated by such emotions as patriotism and overwhelming aesthetic appreciation, but most thieves are driven by greed, fired by escalating values on the art market and press reports of sensationally high-priced art sales. Universally known art works are usually offered for ransom to the victimized establishment; less prized but authentic objects tend to be smuggled abroad; while minor, little known or unattributable pieces are sold on the illicit market to speculators or collectors. The more famous the object, the better its chances of being ultimately recovered, but negotiations take 3 years on the average. Sometimes museums are duped or unconcerned and purchase stolen objects for their collections, thus contributing to the problem. The International Criminal Police Organization has been promoting international cooperation to combat art theft and illicit marketing, specifically through the creation of a specialized national office for the protection of art collections and coordination of theft investigations at the national and international levels. France's Central Office for the Repression of Art Theft has been in operation since 1975. Illustrations and tables are provided.