Thefts!
April 9 2020
Picture: BBC
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Arts Newspaper has published an worrying article about the increasing number of break-ins over the recent weeks. They have connected this to criminals who are using the current virus crisis as an opportunity to pillage galleries which are no longer adequately staffed and populated with visitors.
The article quotes the loss-adjuster Philip Austin who placed further blame on;
…the furloughing of staff whilst operating a skeleton type of business. I can see the criminal fraternity thinking this is Christmas.
Bendor contributed an article in The Sunday Times last weekend on the theft of a Van Gogh from the Singer Laren Museum in the Netherlands. In addition, the recent robbery of several masterpieces from the Christ Church Picture Gallery in Oxford, including a superb Van Dyck (pictured), a Salvator Rosa and a Annibale Carracci, shows that Old Master Paintings are not immune to this worrying trend.
Many have been speculating on Twitter as to whether this particular job was ‘made to order’ by some Hollywood-inspired criminal mastermind with a penchant for Old Masters. Let’s hope these important pictures are eventually recovered, and that galleries do the best they can to keep vigilant.
