Will Museum Closures See a Rise in Art Theft?

By Lindsay Inglis

Since the outbreak of coronavirus there have been two major art thefts in Europe, both of which took place last month within two weeks of each other.

Annibale Carracci, A Boy Drinking, around 1580, oil on canvas, photo courtesy of the Christ Church Picture Gallery, Oxford.

On March 14th three masterpieces were stolen from Christ Church Picture Gallery in Oxford, United Kingdom. These paintings included Salvator Rosa’s A Rocky Coast with Soldiers Studying a Plan, Annibale Carracci’s A Boy Drinking and, the most valuable of the three, Anthony van Dyck’s A Soldier on Horseback. The museum closed its doors following the robbery, prior to the necessary closure due to coronavirus. How the thieves accessed the gallery has yet to be known; police investigations remain ongoing.

On March 30th Vincent van Gogh’s Parsonage Garden at Neunen in Spring was stolen from the Singer Laren Museum in Laren, Netherlands. Thieves broke the front glass door to the museum at 3:15 in the morning. Although the intrusion triggered the alarm, by the time police arrived the thieves and the painting were gone. Parsonage Garden at Neunen in Spring was on loan from the Groninger Museum and was included in the exhibition Mirror of the Soul – From Toorop to Mondrian. Jan Rudolph de Lorm, director of Singer Laren, stated: “It is terrible for the Groninger Museum and for Singer Laren, but above all for every one of us. Art exists to be shared, to enjoy, to inspire and offer comfort, particularly in times such as these. Art is vital to our culture.” This painting was the only van Gogh in the Groninger Museum’s collection; they have refrained from commentating while the police begin their investigation.

Vincent van Gogh, Parsonage Garden at Neunen in Spring, 1884, oil on paper on panel, photo courtesy of the Groninger Museum, Groninger.

While it is encouraging that there have been no reported art thefts in Italy or China among museum closures, there seems to be a link between times of uncertainty and art theft. A 2018 analysis of the Interpol Art Theft Database showed that countries with political unrest such as Iraq and Afghanistan had the highest number of stolen artworks. Iraq has been prone to looting for years due to their history of instability and war. In 2003, Baghdad’s Iraq Museum was left vacant for four days, during which time an estimated 15,000 items were stolen (over half of which have since been returned). Outside the Middle East, the seven largest centers for art theft are European countries. It was reported that most stolen artworks from around the world, when found, are discovered in Europe.

With museums closing throughout Europe to stop the spread of coronavirus, should we be concerned of a potential rise in art theft? If the largest market for stolen art is in Europe, as Interpol suggests, during these uncertain times should European museums increase their security to protect their collections? At a time when communities need to come together (though not physically) to stop the spread of coronavirus and to lift each other’s spirits, one can only hope that art thieves too, remain at home.

Bibliography

Brown, Kate “Art Thieves Prefer Sculpture Over Painting and 4 Other Revelations from Interpol’s Art Theft Database” artnet news, April 2, 2018 https://news.artnet.com/market/art-theft-interpol-database-1261133

Poole, Robert “Looting Iraq” Smithsonian Magazine, February 2008 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/looting-iraq-16813540/

Reinke, Kira “Three Old Master Paintings Stolen from an Oxford Gallery” Barneby’s, March 15, 2020 https://www.barnebys.co.uk/blog/old-master-paintings-stolen

“‘Artefact Detectives’ in Iraq Aim to End the Theft of Their History” Euronews, January 10, 2020 https://www.euronews.com/2020/01/10/artefact-detectives-in-iraq-aim-to-end-the-theft-of-their-history

“Burglary at Singer Laren” Singer Laren, March 30, 2020 https://www.singerlaren.nl/en/nieuws/460/burglary_at_singer_laren/

“Loan Groninger Museum Stolen from Singer Laren” Groninger Museum https://www.groningermuseum.nl/en/art/exhibitions/gesloten

“Visiting the Gallery” Christ Church https://www.chch.ox.ac.uk/picture-gallery/visiting-gallery