Art theft is usually done for resale or ransom called "artnapping". Or stolen art is sometimes used by criminals as collateral to secure loans - often drug related - and only 5 to 10% is ever recovered. Mmmmm - perhaps, I should add a teensy, weeny Picasso for the spare room…
Of course the nazis were the boys for art heists. Families of the original owners of plundered artworks persist in claiming title to their pre-war property. In 2006, after a long court battle in the United States and Austria, five paintings by Gustav Klimt were legally snatched back by Maria Altmann, niece of the pre-war owner. She sold them for $325 million.
But there is not much chance of walking away with the most valuable painting - the Mona Lisa. Yet, even that was stolen in 1911. The guards thought the painting was away for photography when someone casually enquired about the space on the wall. Picasso was brought in for questioning but later exonerated. The real thief had hidden in a broom closet and dandered out with it hidden under his coat after the museum closed.
He was caught trying to sell it to the directors of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. If I was a judge he would have got off with an insanity plea, not six months in clink. Bulletproof glass now shields the Mona Lisa from attacks and you can bet that their security alarm wasn't bought at Homebase DIY store.
Did you know the Mona Lisa has no clearly visible eyebrows or eyelashes? Originally, researchers came up with a bullshit theory that genteel women plucked these unsightly hairs in da Vinci's time. Yeah right. That would them attractive to Spock maybe. Actually, ultra high resolution scans of the painting prove the Mona Lisa was originally painted with eyelashes and visible eyebrows but that these had gradually disappeared over time, perhaps as a result of overcleaning.
My theory is that the guy who originally stole the painting couldn't find a buyer but managed to sell the eyebrows to an American tourist in Paris. I like to think of them hanging in an ornate frame in a Texas mansion - probably owned by a Republican senator - who has negotiated a tax break with the US government to donate them to the nation on his death. These yanks end up with all the good stuff...
