Stolen Art Alert
Below are selected items from the Stolen Art Alert section of the IFAR Journal, published by IFAR since 1977. The theft information was provided by owners and insurance companies to the police, the FBI, Interpol, the Art Loss Register, and others, and IFAR does not make any representation as to accuracy or authenticity.
Highlights
Pablo Picasso
(Spanish, 1881-1973)
Woman's Head, 1939.
*L12.27.
Stolen from the National Gallery in Athens, Greece on January 8, 2012 along with a Mondrian painting, Mill, and a Caccia work on paper, Religious Scene.
Roy Lichtenstein
(American, 1923-1997)
Sunrise, 1965.
Enamel on steel.
22 1/2" x 36".
*L11.206.
Stolen from a gallery in New York on April 8, 2011.
Frans van Mieris, the Elder
(Dutch, 17th century)
A Cavalier, or Self-portrait as an Officer.
c.1657-59.
Oil on oak panel.
20 x 16 cm.
*N07.142.
Stolen from the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia on June 10, 2007.
Nicolas Poussin
(French, 1594-1665)
Midas at the Source of the River Pactole.
Oil on canvas.
58 x 82 cm.
*L11.7.
Stolen from the Ajaccio Museum in Corsica, France on February 18, 2011.
Jasper Francis Cropsey
American, 1823-1900.
Upper Hudson, 1871.
Oil on canvas.
Approx. 12" x 20". Signed l/r.
*L11.145.
Stolen from the Ringwood Manor Museum, Ringwood, NJ on March 2, 2011.
Mariano Baquero
(Spanish, 1838-1890)
Danse Orientale. Watercolor on paper.
91.01 x 57 cm.
*L11.749.
Stolen in Vienna, Austria on June 23, 2011.
Philip Reinagle
(English, 1749-1833)
Harrier Killing a Bittern, 1797.
Oil on canvas.
201 x 145 cm.
*L11.400.
Stolen from the British Ambassador's residence in Tripoli, Libya during civil unrest on May 1, 2011.
RECOVERED -- Brooch
(Turkish, 6th century BC)
Gold and glass
Ht.: 3.4 cm. W: 2 cm
Stolen from the Usak Museum, Turkey and replaced with a fake in 2005.
Inventory no. 1.87.96
Interpol no. 20060712587
The brooch was one of 363 pieces, know as the Lydian Hoard, unearthed in the 1960s near Usak. Turkey successfully reclaimed this piece and others in 1993 from The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York after a long legal battle.
Vincent van Gogh
(Dutch, 1853-1890)
Poppy Flowers (Vase with Flowers), 1887.
Oil on canvas.
12" x 12" (30.48 x 30.48 cm). (Image is cropped.)
*L10.108951.
Stolen from the Mahmoud Khalil Museum, Cairo, Egypt on August 20, 2010. The same painting was stolen once before -- in 1978 -- and recovered in Kuwait in 1980.
Plaque
(found at Nimrud, c.720 BC)
Chryselephantine (gold and ivory)
Depicting a lioness killing a Nubian.
Cat. #175
Iraq Museum #56642
*L03.646
Reported stolen/looted in April 2003 from the Iraq Museum, Baghdad.