Jonathan Santlofer's The Lost Van Gogh is a new novel about a self portrait by Vincent Van Gogh. Find out what I though of the book in advance of its January 2024 release.
Category: Art Crimes
Edith Standen – American Monuments Woman
Edith Standen was a British-American art historian and monuments officer during World War Two. She later worked for the Met, where she became a textiles expert. This is her story.
Exciting Breaking News! Nazi Loot Found (Maybe)
The Amber Room panels, stolen from Saint Petersburg, Russia and still unrecovered. Branson DeCou [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons According to multiple news outlets, a train recently discovered deep underneath a Polish mountain, may contain Nazi-looted treasures, including the famous Amber Room panels. Once displayed at Tsarskoye Selo in Saint Petersburg, Russia, the panels were stolen during World War Two… Continue reading Exciting Breaking News! Nazi Loot Found (Maybe)
Rose Valland – Art Spy Extraordinaire
Rose Valland was a French museum administrator who worked as a spy and saved countless works of art during World War Two.
Art Crimes Awareness: Ebay and the Modern Forger
The Monuments Men Foundation for Art the Preservation of Art's facebook page, which by the way is one of the best resources out there for information about cultural heritage advocacy, recently linked to this article from The Daily Beast about art forgery on eBay. My first reaction was that anyone who thinks they're going to buy a Picasso on eBay… Continue reading Art Crimes Awareness: Ebay and the Modern Forger
Cultural Heritage in Peril: Ancient Victims of Modern War in the Middle East – HeadStuff
To be perfectly honest, this is probably the most depressing article I've ever written. In the past few years alone, we've lost so many irreplaceable ancient monuments. However, I felt that this topic was really important to talk about. I just hope things will calm down soon. Cultural Heritage in Peril: Ancient Victims of… Continue reading Cultural Heritage in Peril: Ancient Victims of Modern War in the Middle East – HeadStuff
A Brief History of Art Forgery in Four Crazy Case Studies – HeadStuff
My article on art forgery in the twentieth century has just been published on HeadStuff.org. Check it out! A Brief History of Art Forgery in Four Crazy Case Studies - HeadStuff.
Great News for the Monuments Men!
Yesterday, the United States Congress voted to award the Monuments Men with the Congressional Gold Medal. This is truly wonderful news! I'm certain that we can credit the Monuments Men book and movie with inspiring this bill, which was proposed by Senators Roy Blunt of Missouri and Robert Menendez of New Jersey. All too often,… Continue reading Great News for the Monuments Men!
Where are they now? – Repatriated Art & Antiquities
I read this very interesting article in the Sunday arts section of The New York Times this morning. It is basically a "Where are they now?" report on a few of the more interesting art and antiquities repatriation cases to be resolved in the recent past. I'm glad to see that people are taking an… Continue reading Where are they now? – Repatriated Art & Antiquities
A True Art Adventure: The Real-Life Story of the Monuments Men | HeadStuff
A link to my January 2015 article about the Monuments Men for HeadStuff. The Monuments Men were a group of Allied soldiers who worked to save monuments and track down and repatriate lost or stolen artworks during World War Two.