Picasso – Mary Gwyn's Art

“Bad artists copy. Good artists steal” Picasso (from Austin Kleon)

Did you ever think you would like to own the work of a major artist, like say, Picasso? What would you do with your Picasso? Would you have friends over for cocktails and appetizers so you can show off your newly acquired masterpiece? Would you hang it in the foyer where everyone entering your home would be able to lay eyes on your Picasso as soon as they set foot inside your house? Would you decorate your home in a color scheme to match the colors of your Picasso? Before acquiring your Picasso, you must take these things into consideration. And there are other important details you must consider.

For around 100 euros you can buy a raffle ticket from a charity for the chance to win your very own Picasso. Imagine that! Say you are the lucky winner, what do you do next? Eleanor Steafel, writing in The Telegraph, gives you the details. The first step Steafel recommends is to get insured. Most homeowners or renters policies likely won’t cover a million dollar work of art so you’ll need a better policy. Why so much? There just happens to be a major international wave of art theft crime.

The BBC will be airing a new film by Alastair Sooke on the growing worldwide problem of stolen art and the black market it thrives in. Most of these major art works disappear into the black market never to be seen again. In an article for The Telegraph, Sooke explains why. When major drug cartels and other criminal gangs, can’t deal in currency, they turn to art. Art is often a better bargaining chip. Your newly acquired Picasso just became a target. Whatever security you have is not likely to equal that of a museum, so hopefully you have that insurance up to date.

Or you leave the real Picasso’s to the museums with their better security and just steal a fake one. How can you do that? If you’re an artist, Austin Kleon tells you how on his blog post, “25 quotes to help you steal like an artist.” “I don’t steal!” you say. Sure you do. If you learned any techniques in painting by copying another artist, you’re stealing. Only this is good stealing. Yes, there is good stealing! And good stealing is a whole lot cheaper than buying the real thing. Plus no criminals are going to want your “stolen” Picasso meaning you won’t need that extra insurance.

Once, I needed some doughnuts so I stole them from Wayne Thiebaud. I didn’t actually steal a Thiebaud painting. Just a few doughnuts. He didn’t miss the doughnuts and I didn’t have to insure them. Next time you are inclined to buy a multi-million dollar painting, don’t. You’re an artist. Steal it. And while you’re stealing it, you can smile at all the good you’re doing by stealing your own. No criminals will come looking for it. Your insurance agent is relieved. The new security system won’t be needed. Everybody’s happy.

The Plight of the Impudent Thief

A 24 million dollar loss in the art world has been replaced in the news by a one billion dollar find. Just weeks ago, the art world was lamenting the theft and probable burning of seven works of art from the Kunsthal Museum in Rotterdam. Now comes a new report of the German find of over 1400 artworks in an apartment owned by an eighty year old man. The pain of loss is overcome by the joy of the new find. But the antics of the theft ringleader are quite entertaining. And insulting.

The Romanian ringleader of the art heist gang first attempted to have his trial moved from Romania to the Netherlands in hopes of a more lenient sentence. His bargaining chip was the promise to reveal the location of the art in exchange for the trial move. However, his loving mother may have nixed that plan when in an attempt to save her son, she stated she had burned them in her stove. The ashes in her stove have been confiscated and are being analyzed. She, apparently, didn’t have enough sense to get rid of the ashes, too. Forensic capabilities may have uncovered evidence that proves she did, in fact, burn the art in spite of a latter retraction.

When the trial move was denied, the ringleader’s next trick was to claim the museum had been complicit in the theft to benefit from an insurance claim. Or perhaps, it was the owner of the collection who was complicit. “Somebody”, claimed the thief, made the heist possible so “somebody” could get the insurance money. “Somebody” or “anybody” but the thief is responsible for the thief’s actions. He is certainly not responsible. He’s a good boy. Just ask his mother.

And if that wasn’t enough, he continued to add insult to injury. When the insurance claim idea was denied, he then threatened to sue the Museum, claiming it was the museum’s fault he stole the works because the museum’s security was not sufficient to prevent his theft. Essentially saying, “Its your fault I stole from you because you were not strong enough to stop me.” The sound of heads shaking can be heard. One wonders who is paying the lawyers to file this claim?

However, the pain of the theft was deeply felt by the art community and compounded by the continued brazenness of the ringleader. But all is not lost! The stolen Matisse and Picasso artworks were replaced in the heart of the art community by the newly found Matisse and Picasso artworks. The German find is many times larger than the Dutch theft. Will the thieving ringleader or his loving mother take credit for the find? Who cares? His fifteen minutes are over. Hope that Romanian prison food is tasty.

Note: The thief’s name has purposely been withheld in compliance with the fifteen minute rule.

The Dutch Heist and the German Find have been covered extensively by The Guardian. Read more here and here.

The Scotsman, the BBC, The Claims Journal, CNN, the New Yorker and more have all written about various aspects of the theft and trial. Follow the links for more on this intriguing story.

Update and a second fifteen minutes: The Ringleader and one of his accomplices have been sentenced to six years and eight months in prison. The ringleader’s mother is also soon to stand trial for her role in the possible destruction of the art. Hopefully, she will see a similar sentence. Couldn’t happen to a nicer family! Unfortunately, mom’s trial will add another fifteen minutes of fame to this thieving bunch.

The sentencing has been covered extensively. For more go to the following links:

The Art Newspaper

Karma’s Little Spanker