Art Crimes

Someone has been sticking googly eyes onto public art installations, such as artist Brandon Zebold's Orb I, in Bend, Oregon.

Someone Is Sticking Googly Eyes on Public Sculptures in Oregon—and City Officials Are Not Amused

Many residents of Bend love the illicit adornments, which they say are sparking joy and driving engagement with public art

The bronze head of the Roman emperor Septimius Severus on display at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek museum in Copenhagen

An Ancient Statue of a Roman Emperor Will Finally Be Reunited With Its Head

The torso of the bronze sculpture depicting Septimius Severus was repatriated last year, and a Copenhagen museum has now agreed to return the head

An interpretation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet by Salvador Dalí

Stunning Artworks Seized From the Mafia Go On Display at a New Exhibition in Milan

"Save Arts: From Confiscations to Public Collections" features more than 80 works recovered by Italian authorities, including pieces by Andy Warhol and Salvador Dalí

Italian authorities have recovered several Etruscan antiquities stolen by tomb raiders from a burial site in central Italy.

Italian Police Arrest ‘Clumsy’ Tomb Raiders Who Allegedly Posted Stolen Etruscan Artifacts on Facebook

The items include artistic urns, a bone comb and an ancient sarcophagus with a full skeleton inside

Prints from Warhol's Reigning Queens series ahead of a 2021 Christie's sale. These portraits depict the United Kingdom's Elizabeth II and Denmark's Margrethe II.

When Art Thieves Stole Four Andy Warhol Prints, They Didn't Realize Only Two Would Fit in the Getaway Car

The robbers only made away with two of the screen prints, which they swiped from a gallery in the Netherlands. They abandoned the other artworks on the street

Allied soldiers rescued the portrait and other works from Germany's Neuschwanstein Castle in 1945.

A Nazi-Looted Painting Recovered by the Monuments Men During World War II Is Going on Sale

When the war ended, Allied soldiers tracked down Nicolas de Largillierre's "Portrait de femme à mi-corps" with the help of a savvy French curator who had been working for the resistance

The Princeton University Art Museum is one of the many prominent institutions tied to Almagià, who graduated from the university in 1973.

A Prominent Italian Dealer Has Been Charged With Trafficking Thousands of Looted Artifacts

The Manhattan district attorney's office has obtained an arrest warrant for Edoardo Almagià, who has been accused of working with looters and dealing stolen artifacts for years

Bord de Mer (Seaside), Claude Monet, circa 1865

A Rare Monet Painting Has Been Returned to the Family of Its Rightful Owners—Eight Decades After It Was Stolen by the Nazis

The Gestapo seized the Impressionist painting from storage after its owners fled from their home in Vienna. Now, the piece has been returned to their granddaughters

Andy Warhol made 46 copies of this print depicting Vladimir Lenin.

The FBI Recovers an Andy Warhol Print Worth $175,000 That Vanished From a Private Home in 2021

A man is expected to plead guilty for trafficking the print, which reappeared at a Dallas auction house shortly after it went missing from a California residence

Three activists threw soup on two more van Gogh paintings hours after Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland were sentenced to prison time.

Hours After the Protesters Who Threw Soup at a van Gogh Were Sentenced, Three More Activists Repeated the Stunt

Two members of Just Stop Oil staged the original demonstration in late 2022. Group members say the harsh penalties will not deter their efforts

These ornate ear studs from the kingdom of Tabanan were among the 288 artifacts returned to Indonesia.

The Netherlands Has Returned 288 Stolen Artifacts to Indonesia

The Dutch seized the majority of the items in the aftermath of a brutal 1906 conflict that killed an estimated 1,000 Balinese

Lindor Mehmetaj, the manager of London's Grove Gallery, with Banksy's Girl With Balloon

See Footage of a Thief Breaking Into a London Gallery and Stealing Banksy's Iconic 'Girl With Balloon'

Officials launched an investigation and recovered the $360,000 print less than a week after it vanished from Grove Gallery. Two men have been charged for the crime

The Roaring Lion, Yousuf Karsh, 1941

A Thief Replaced This Iconic Churchill Portrait With a Fake. Two Years Later, the Original Has Been Recovered

Investigators discovered that the original print of "The Roaring Lion" had been sold to a buyer in Italy

This necklace was likely stolen from a Turkish archaeological site in 1976.

Boston Museum Returns Looted 2,700-Year-Old Necklace to Turkey

The gold and carnelian artifact is nearly identical to other jewelry found at an archaeological site in western Turkey

Painted in the 1640s or 1650s by Flemish artist Erasmus Quellinus II, the portrait first arrived at Chatsworth House in 1838.

Missing for Four Decades, This Unusual Double Portrait of Rubens and van Dyck Has Finally Resurfaced

The 17th-century painting, stolen in a 1979 heist, turned up at an auction in France in 2020. It recently returned home to Chatsworth House in England

Self portrait, Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita, 1917

A New Exhibition in Amsterdam Explores the Holocaust Through Looted Objects

"Looted" examines how the Nazis systematically plundered Jewish cultural items during World War II

Tutankhamun's tomb was one of the few royal Egyptian burials left largely untouched by ancient looters.

Discover the Hidden History of Tomb Robbing in Ancient Egypt

Criminals plundered the riches of Egyptian pyramids and underground burials, often within a few years or, in some cases, within a few hours of occupants' interment

A case in the Green Vault's jewel room

Dazzling Jewels Stolen in Green Vault Heist Go Back on Display in Dresden

In the early morning hours of November 25, 2019, thieves made away with 4,300 valuable diamonds and other stones

The last animal-themed mural in Banksy's series appeared on an entrance to the London Zoo.

As Banksy's Animal Art Series Ends, Caretakers Grapple With How to Preserve His Murals

The street artist unveiled nine new pieces in London this month, and many have already been taken down or defaced

A police officer poses with the fake Leonardo da Vinci portrait.

Art Dealer Arrested for Trying to Sell a Fake Leonardo da Vinci for $1.4 Million

French customs officers seized the imitation when they discovered the man’s export license had expired

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