Kunsthal Museum Art Robbery: What Can An Art Thief Gain?

Early on Tuesday morning (16th Oct 2012) calculating art thieves liberated seven artworks that are widely considered 'masterpieces' from the Kunsthal Museum in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Reuters reports that the stolen work included; 'Picasso's "Tête d'Arlequin", Matisse's "La Liseuse en Blanc et Jaune", Monet's "Waterloo Bridge, London" and "Charing Cross Bridge, London", Gauguin's "Femme devant une fenêtre ouverte", De Haan's "Autoportrait" and Freud's "Woman with Eyes Closed"'

Reuters spoke to Chistopher Marinello, a spokesperson for The Lost Art Register, who expressed confidence that the works would reappear very soon. "They are going to learn very quickly that these things cannot be sold... They don't even think about it sometimes. They may try and call and entice a ransom," he said, "I'm confident these will find their way back. The police in this area are very good, very well organized. I would not be surprised to see them surfacing over the next few weeks.” According to Mr Marinello, it's also very unlikely that the art would have been stolen 'to order' because apparently those are theories, states Reuters, in “the realm of Hollywood.”

Europe is a 'prime hunting ground' for art thieves, according to the New York Times and considered it a 'wake up call'. The NY Times focusses on the questions that need to be answered, and the greater protection for art that needs to be put in place. Two years ago paintings worth $124m were stolen in Paris and Edvard Munch's famous 'The Scream' was stolen in Oslo in 2005, but recovered shortly afterwards.

This all comes just a week after a Russian artist involved what the 'Yellowist Movement' defaced a Mark Rothko piece. Vladimir Umanets, who used black marker on the 'Black and Maroon' Rothko, will probably gain far more from his act than the thieves who will be hard pushed to find a buyer stupid enough to take it off their hands.