Art Crimes

Police in Boulder and Lakewood found all five pieces of stolen artwork in a hotel room.

Police Recover $400,000 Worth of Stolen Artwork in Colorado

The suspect allegedly broke into a locked truck that was transporting five high-end pieces across the country

Sim’oogit Ni’isjoohl (Chief Earl Stephens) of the Nisga’a Nation with the Ni’isjoohl memorial pole

Inside the Nisga'a Nation's Fight to Get a 36-Foot Totem Pole Back From Scotland

National Museums Scotland agreed to repatriate the object, which was stolen in 1929, following an in-person appeal by an Indigenous delegation

Egyptologist Zahi Hawass is leading a push to repatriate the Rosetta Stone, the Dendera Zodiac and the bust of Nefertiti to Egypt.

Who Gets to Tell the Story of Ancient Egypt?

On the eve of the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, some of the country's artifacts, from the Rosetta Stone to the bust of Nefertiti, remain overseas

Banksy painted the mural on a wall in the Ukranian town of Hostomel.

Thieves Tried to Cut Banksy Mural From a Wall in War-Torn Ukrainian Town

The mural, located outside Kyiv, depicts a woman in a bathrobe and a gas mask

Frida Kahlo allegedly drew Fantasmones Siniestros in her diary in 1944.

Did This Man Destroy a Frida Kahlo Drawing to Make an NFT?

Businessman Martin Mobarak's stunt is now under investigation by the Mexican government

Woman Hiding Her Face (1912) by Egon Schiele

Nazis Stole Two Paintings From a Jewish Cabaret Star. Now, His Heirs Are Selling Them

Proceeds from the auction will go toward supporting underrepresented artists

Smithsonian officials announce the transfer of ownership of 29 works of art to Nigeria; 20 will be returned (above: Bell, Benin kingdom court style, Edo artist,18th century), while nine will remain on loan.

The Smithsonian Returns a Trove of Benin Bronzes to Nigeria

The transfer of ownership of 29 artworks is the first to be carried out under a new policy and practice

Investigators have seized 27 antiquities from the Metropolitan Museum of Art over the last six months, including this marble head of a Greek youth, dated to around 300 to 100 B.C.

Investigators Seize 27 Greek and Egyptian Antiquities From the Met

The seizures come at a time of increased scrutiny from the Manhattan district attorney’s office over international art crime

The Roaring Lion, one of the most iconic photographs of Winston Churchill

Hotel Discovers Its Famous Churchill Portrait Was Swapped With a Fake

An original print of the 'Roaring Lion' was stolen from the Fairmont Château Laurier eight months ago

Police recovered the stolen painting Sol Poente, by Brazilian artist Tarsila do Amaral, during a raid last week.

Using Fake Psychics, Brazilian Woman Allegedly Stole $142 Million Worth of Art

The elaborate scheme targeted her mother, the widow of a prominent art dealer, police say

The Guggenheim Museum in New York City

Was That Painting Stolen by Nazis? New York Museums Are Now Required to Tell You

A new law directs museums to "prominently place a placard" acknowledging Nazi-looted art

Maurizio Cattelan's “Comedian,” featuring a banana duct-taped to a wall

The Famous Banana Taped to a Wall Is Now at the Center of a Copyright Suit

Several years after the irreverent piece's debut, another artist claims he had the idea first

Don Henley and Glenn Frey of the Eagles performing at Madison Square Garden in 2008

Three Men Charged for Trying to Sell Stolen 'Hotel California' Notes and Lyrics

Worth over $1 million, the handwritten materials were originally stolen from the Eagles’ Don Henley in the 1970s

The VR gallery allows people to see virtual versions of artworks up close. 

Five Stolen Paintings Go on Display in Virtual Reality

The exhibition displays artworks that were taken from museums around the world

After an attack by Russian forces in late March, smoke rises from an oil depot not far from Rynok Square in Lviv in western Ukraine

The Race to Save Ukraine’s Sacred Art

The Bohorodchany Iconostasis has withstood religious persecution, revolutions and world wars. Can it survive Russia’s brutal assault?

FBI agents loading Basquiat paintings into vehicles at the Orlando Museum of Art

FBI Seizes 25 Basquiat Paintings Off a Florida Museum’s Walls

Federal agents are investigating the origin of the works, which were on display at the Orlando Museum of Art

The 21-year-old suspect, Brian Hernandez, broke into the Dallas Museum of Art around 9:40 p.m. Wednesday.

Man Breaks Into Dallas Museum of Art and Damages Artworks Valued at Up to $5 Million

Brian Hernandez broke ancient Greek artifacts and a contemporary ceramic piece

Thieves targeted a $2 million, 18-carat gold tabernacle in a Catholic church this week. 

Thieves Took a $2-Million Tabernacle From a Brooklyn Church

Sacred objects can tempt would-be burglars

Millions of visitors visit the Mona Lisa at the Louvre each year.

Disguised Protester Smears Cake on High-Tech Glass Protecting the 'Mona Lisa'

It’s the latest in a long string of attempts to vandalize the world’s most famous painting

This Roman copy of a Greek bronze depicts an idealized male figure. 

This Ancient Roman Statue Embodies the 'Perfect' Man. But Was It Stolen?

Italy wants a Roman replica of "Doryphoros" in the Minneapolis Institute of Art returned

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