Stolen Art Alert

Volume 1, No. 3

March 1980

Forger's Oeuvre Comes to Light
— B. Burnham
The FBI seized more than 600 paintings from the Joseph Hartert collection in Peekskill, NY, after 18 of the works bought from Hartert by the New York based Galleria Borghi were found by IFAR to be forgeries. This case is notable in that it is the first time in a decade that law enforcement has prosecuted a known seller of fraudulent art objects

Bulletin: Canadian Theft Resolved in USA
A small Boudin landscape, stolen from a Vancouver museum in 1979, was recovered by the FBI, after the agency brought the painting to IFAR for positive identification.

Raid on New York State Auctioneer
Some 80 alleged forgeries were seized at the Jerrold Schuster Art Gallery, in New Windsor, NY.

Stephen Straw Sale Announced
Phillips announced the sale of over 175 paintings and 499 pieces of furniture from Stephen Straw’s bankrupt gallery in Newburyport, Mass. Straw faces possible criminal indictment for bogus art transactions.

Harry Jackson Alert
Some 26 bronzes by the popular American Western artist have been stolen over the last few years: IFAR lists them in this issue.

Mechanically Signed Prints Authorized by Court Order
An unusual court decision has authorized a print publisher (Editions Phoebus S.A.) to sell prints by Nicola Simbari with a mechanical signature.

Recoveries
Thirty-three stolen paintings, featured in the January 1980 Stolen Art Alert, were recovered not far from the home in Hull, Canada, from which they were stolen in 1979; Federal agents have recovered the stolen painting, A Family of Sheep by Verboeckhoven.

Ivory Importation
A conservation bill, the Elephant Protection Act of 1979 (HR 4685), introduced in the U.S. House could limit ivory art imports.

Recent Theft
Miró watercolor stolen from New York gallery.

Found
A rare gold India coin from the Kushan period is recovered and Boston FBI agents are seeking its owner.