The Strange Cultural Currency of Art Theft

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From Crime Reads:

There’s a case to be made that there’s really only one crime, one sin: thievery.

The emperor of Sin Mountain is murder, the theft of life. An assault can be seen as a theft of safe passage, well-being, and peace of mind. Lies are thefts of truth from the store of knowledge that we use to best navigate the world.

What separates theft from a hoarding disorder or guys doing their job on trash day? Something of value is taken away. And the concept of value is what sparks wars and dinner table arguments and bank robberies. (And also a lot of great crime fiction.)

. . . .

The theft of artwork and cultural property is a billions of dollars per year enterprise, according to the FBI. Occasionally, the grab is a commissioned and targeted assignment ordered by someone, generally a very wealthy someone, who just really wants a particular piece for their private enjoyment.

Sometimes the aim is to collect a ransom from a museum or a government. Unlike wringing money from an individual or a family by applying risk to a single life, the perceived value of the art is shared by a larger group, increasing the number of people who might feel compelled to have it back.

. . . .

But the most common reason cited for boosting art and artifacts is that organized crime outfits use them for currency. They trade treasures for shipments of drugs or weapons, or to secure influence or favors. Art is more unique, negotiable, and portable than money.

. . . .

For writers, art theft also suggests a class-and-motive rainbow array of characters, a ready-made range of players to imagine. The person who sneaks in to first set hands on the thing in defiance of security systems and the basic nursery school morality of not taking what doesn’t belong to you is a very different person from the crime boss or aristocrat who directed that person to do those things. And they’re both well distinct from whoever ends up on the trail of the transgression and transgressors to set everything back to rights.

The scenario is so rich for exploration that wonderful writers like Jeffrey Archer, Jojo Moyes, Ian Rankin, and Jo Nesbo have invented art heists to swim in, and rendered well-received novels of the intrigue. James Ponti did it for kids in Framed!, the inaugural offering in the T.O.A.S.T. mystery series for mid-grade readers. Donna Tartt won the Pulitzer Prize for the story of a tragic fictional theft of The Goldfinch.

Link to the rest at Crime Reads

While, like many others, PG has viewed several art heist movies, he doesn’t remember reading any art heist (or jewel heist) books. Perhaps he’ll have to try some.