Stolen Art Watch, Bought at a Garage Sale, Bullshit Wins Sometimes !!

A case of conflicting principles that's as good as gold

Judge decides how to split up the booty when the protection of property and protection of commercial transactions collide

Ian Mulgrew, Vancouver Sun
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=7911f9b3-840d-4f9b-8ffc-a2313157ad5a&p=1

Published: Monday, August 25, 2008

Finder's keepers? Even if it's rare Swedish gold coins worth nearly $200,000, the kid's rhyme guides the law unless there's proof of ownership.

With that kind of reasoning, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Bruce Butler has turned an October 2005 West Vancouver Police bust on its head and handed a valuable gold coin back to a woman whose mother bought a handful at a garage sale for $5.

"This case raises squarely the conflict between two principles, protection of property and protection of commercial transactions," Justice Butler said, splitting the antique booty between the daughter and a collector.


Three years ago, the North Shore force trumpeted a sting operation in which a Langley man was nabbed apparently trying to sell five coins minted in the 17th and 18th centuries supposedly stolen in 1994.

The original "crime" had been rendered a cold case until the Royal Coin Cabinet in Sweden -- a division of the Museums of National Antiquities in Stockholm --received an e-mail in 2005 offering the coins for sale.

Two were larger and unique, a 1735 five-ducat and 1643 three-ducat Kristina Riga. There were also a one-ducat Riga dated 1646, a one-ducat Gustav II Adolph dated 1632 and a one-ducat Karl XII from 1701. Staff at the museum checking their provenance discovered the 11-year-old alert and called the owner, Klas-Olof Algard, a well-known currency specialist from Sweden who moved to B.C. in 1987. He claimed the coins were stolen from him. West Vancouver police were summoned and an officer posing as a coin appraiser from the museum arranged to meet the would-be coin seller at the Pan Pacific Hotel. They arrested a 63-year-old man who showed up with the delicate, wafer-thin discs of gold then worth about $165,000.

Algard always maintained that a briefcase containing the coins was swiped Oct. 27, 1994 from an Ambleside clothing store as he did errands before catching a plane to Europe. But Justice Butler decided Friday that didn't happen and that is was more likely Algard lost his briefcase in the rush of trying to get things done.

The man trying to sell the coins was not some crook but actually a representative of Stephanie Manning, whose mother bought them at an eastside garage sale in 2000.

Manning's mother died of cancer in 2004 and her dad gave her the coins.

That's when she became curious, did a bit of research and figured she'd become an Antiques Roadshow winner. She asked a friend to make inquiries about selling the coins and he called the museum in Sweden.

After his arrest, she sued to have the coins returned, saying they were rightfully hers.

And proving ownership of the coins proved more complicated than expected because Algard gave police different, conflicting statements over the years.

In 1994, he said seven coins were stolen; later he said it was four, then in 2005, after they turned up, he said five were taken. There were other anomalies.

And unfortunately, in March 2006, shortly after the coins were returned to him, Algard died before he could clear up those questions.

Manning said that her mother purchased the coins in good faith.

An archaic section of B.C.'s commercial law states: "If goods are sold in market overt, according to the usage of the market, the buyer acquires a good title to the goods, as long as they are bought in good faith and without notice of any defect or want of title on the part of the seller."

But both parties in this case agreed that is a legal anachronism.

"I note as well that B.C. remains the only jurisdiction in Canada where the market overt section of the English Sale of Goods Act remains," Justice Butler added. "It was repealed in 1995 in the United Kingdom."

He relied instead on the principle reflected in the Latin maxim nemo dat quod non habet (literally "no one [can] give what one does not have"), that no one can transfer better title to goods than he or she possesses.

Where goods are lost or misplaced, the owner retains legal title and it is irrelevant Ovsenek bought the coins in good faith: The seller did not have the authority to sell the coins.

Justice Butler concluded that given the documentary evidence from 1994, Algard was the rightful owner of two one-ducat coins, the three-ducat and the five-ducat. But he said the estate had failed to establish the fifth coin belonged to him.

In the absence of proof of ownership, though, it's finder's keepers.

"I can infer that the [fifth] coin was lost with the other four coins," the judge concluded. "However, I cannot infer on the basis of the admissible evidence that it was owned by Mr. Algard."

As a result, the judge had no reason to void the garage sale transaction as it pertained to that ducat.

The coin, dated 1632, goes back to Manning.

imulgrew@vancouversun.com

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Art Hostage would like to thank Mr Lawrence Chard for the use of the coin photo.

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Chard are a leading coin and bullion dealer, based in Blackpool UK
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The Chards website can be found here:

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http://www.chards.co.uk/

Stolen Art Watch, Bill Reid Theft, Danegeld This Time, What Next Time ??

Money paid for return of stolen art, RCMP say

MARSHA LEDERMAN

From Thursday's Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080821.wbcreid21/BNStory/Entertainment/home
August 21, 2008 at 3:59 AM EDT

VANCOUVER — The RCMP have confirmed that money was paid out in their investigation and recovery of stolen art from the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver, but they won't say to whom the money went or where it came from, and they won't reveal the amount.

"I can't get into specifics other than to say it is not uncommon during a course of an investigation that a sum of money is paid for information," RCMP Constable Annie Linteau said yesterday.

The revelation followed an announcement yesterday that the final two missing works, both by iconic Haida artist Bill Reid, had been recovered by police - although one is not intact.

While police would not say whether the money was paid to an informant or someone believed to be involved in the theft, search warrant documents in the case indicate an attempt to claim the reward by an anonymous tipster - and a possible attempt by a suspect.

According to the documents, a suspect carrying a "full looking" Adidas bag made calls to the University of British Columbia (home of the Museum of Anthropology) from a pay phone on June 4 while under surveillance. The warrant states a belief that the person "was attempting to make contact with an unknown party at UBC, with whom he could discuss the stolen items and a possible reward for their return."

The documents also reveal an anonymous tipster - with a criminal background - was trying to obtain the $50,000 reward money offered by UBC and had hired a lawyer to negotiate the deal.

Constable Linteau said the money that was paid out was not the $50,000 reward, or the unspecified increase in the reward offered by the university's insurer.

The museum was broken into early on May 24 and 15 works were stolen - 12 of them created by Mr. Reid. All but one of the stolen Reid works were crafted from gold, leading to fears that the works might be melted down for their gold content (three gold-plated works of Mexican jewellery were also stolen).

Ten of the stolen Reid works and all of the Mexican pieces were recovered in raids at homes in Burnaby and New Westminster on June 8 and 9. Three people were taken in for questioning, but were released without being charged.

Constable Linteau said yesterday that RCMP are in the process of completing a report to Crown counsel in which they will be recommending charges "against an individual or individuals."

The two other stolen Reid works - a gold eagle brooch and an argillite pipe panel - were found on July 23 and Aug. 11, respectively. A five-centimetre section of the argillite panel is missing, and police are appealing for its recovery.

There is a passionate debate within cultural property circles over whether to offer a ransom for stolen art.

"I have mixed feelings on paying out rewards," Bonnie Czegledi, an art and cultural property lawyer in Toronto, said yesterday. "Right now there's a business whereby criminals are actually stealing with the hopes of being paid ransom rewards for what they steal.

"However, when there are only dead ends in a case, what do we do?"

Vancouver cultural philanthropist Michael Audain says he believes offering a reward can be necessary. "It is a fact that insurance companies are often successful in negotiating the recovery of stolen art works where law enforcement agencies may not be."

UBC spokesman Scott Macrae says museum staff are "absolutely overjoyed" with the way things have turned out.

"At the end of May, the prospect of receiving all of this back - with the exception of that piece of the argillite pipe - wouldn't have really been believable. So going from the fears that this could be melted down to recovering it has been just spectacular."

Bill Reid’s Stolen Art Finally Recovered

By Greg Joyce
The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER – They're all back – and all but one intact.
Three months after a stunning heist, the last two priceless works by renowned Haida artist Bill Reid have been recovered after they were stolen from a museum at the University of B.C.
“People at the museum are just overjoyed at getting this material back,” university spokesman Scott Macrae said Wednesday.

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“There were fears that it could have been melted down.”
One item, a carved pipe, is broken and about five centimetres of the artwork – made from a black slate-like material called argillite – is still missing.

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“Given Bill Reid's relationship with the Museum of Anthropology, the special connection with the material, to get it all back with the exception of this missing piece, is almost everything that could have been hoped for,” said Macrae.

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The carved pipe is broken and about five centimetres of the artwork – made from a black slate-like material called argillite – is still missing.

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RCMP Const. Annie Linteau said the Mounties aren't saying where the pipe or an intact eagle brooch made of gold were found, except that it was “in the Lower Mainland” along with the other pieces that were recovered in June.

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Three people were arrested in June after 12 pieces by the Haida master were stolen – along with three artworks from Mexico – in the daring May 24 theft at the museum.

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The gold eagle was recovered July 23 and the pipe Aug. 11, but Linteau said police didn't release the information at the time because of the ongoing investigation.

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The three people arrested were released without charges but Linteau said the police report to Crown counsel will recommend charges against one or more people.

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She also suggested at least one person connected to the theft is in custody on another matter.
“They are not in custody in relation to this investigation.”

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The museum is set to close for major renovations at the end of August, said Macrae, and the Reid artwork, as well as all other art at the museum, won't be on display until March 2009.
The building will be bigger and will allow the museum “to work more closely with our aboriginal partners,” said Macrae.

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Museum staff will also be undertaking a thorough examination of the recovered pieces.
“They are intact but whether there are some scratches and that sort of thing remains to be seen,” said Macrae.

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UBC has increased security personnel and conducted a risk assessment to ensure appropriate security measures are in place, he said.

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“Of course, for reasons of security, we need to keep those details to ourselves.”
Three Mexican jewelry pieces, also stolen and heavily damaged, remain in police hands, said Linteau.

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Reid's most well-known work is a sculpture entitled the Spirit of Haida Gwaii.
It can be seen on the $20 bill, and versions of it are on display at the international terminal at Vancouver International Airport, and the Canadian Embassy in Washington.

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The museum's expansion project will increase the size of the facility by 50 per cent and has a budget of $55.5 million.

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Included in the expansion plans are a new exhibition gallery to allow the museum to bring major travelling shows to Vancouver.

Art Hostage comments:

Still many questions to be answered, even if the answers prove to be embarrassing !!

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Rudyard Kipling Dane-Geld

It is always a temptation to an armed and agile nation
To call upon a neighbour and to say: --
"We invaded you last night--we are quite prepared to fight,
Unless you pay us cash to go away."

And that is called asking for Dane-geld,
And the people who ask it explain
That you've only to pay 'em the Dane-geld
And then you'll get rid of the Dane!

It is always a temptation for a rich and lazy nation,
To puff and look important and to say: --
"Though we know we should defeat you, we have not the time to meet you.
We will therefore pay you cash to go away."

And that is called paying the Dane-geld;
But we've proved it again and again,
That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld
You never get rid of the Dane.

It is wrong to put temptation in the path of any nation,
For fear they should succumb and go astray;
So when you are requested to pay up or be molested,
You will find it better policy to say: --

"We never pay any-one Dane-geld,
No matter how trifling the cost;
For the end of that game is oppression and shame,
And the nation that pays it is lost!"

Stolen Art Watch, Bill Reid Theft 5cm from Conclusion !!

RCMP recover last two Bill Reid art pieces stolen during heist at UBC

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5j2tvdnt7wm_tUo5jM9paHWt4X3mg

VANCOUVER — The last two priceless works by artist Bill Reid have been recovered nearly three months after they were stolen from a museum at the University of B.C.

But one of the items, a carved pipe, is broken and about five centimetres of the artwork - made from a black slate-like material called argillite - is still missing.

Const. Annie Linteau of the RCMP's E Division in Vancouver says in a statement that investigators could not issue details of the recovery sooner to avoid compromising the investigation.

The Mounties aren't saying when the pipe or an intact eagle brooch made of gold were found.

Police are asking for information leading to the recovery of the final five centimetres of the pipe.

Three people were arrested in June after 10 pieces by the Haida master were stolen, along with three artworks from Mexico, in the daring May 24 heist at the Museum of Anthropology.

Last 2 stolen art pieces by Bill Reid recovered

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2008/08/20/bc-bill-reid-pieces.html
RCMP have found the remaining two of a dozen pieces of Haida artist Bill Reid's work that were stolen about three months ago from the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia.

A gold eagle brooch was recovered intact, but five centimetres of a carved argillite pipe were broken off and are still missing, RCMP spokeswoman Const. Annie Linteau said Wednesday.

"We're asking anyone who has information about the whereabouts of the missing piece to please call police immediately," Linteau told CBC News in a telephone interview.

Twelve of Reid's works, displayed in glass-enclosed, stone showcases were stolen overnight on May 23. They included bracelets, brooches and cufflinks. Three golden-coloured Mexican art objects also vanished.

Police found 10 of Reid's stolen pieces and the three Mexican items in June at two residences in the Vancouver suburbs of Burnaby and New Westminster. Three people were arrested and then released at the time.

The last two pieces were found in two separate searches on July 23 and Aug. 11. Linteau didn't reveal the locations at which the artworks were recovered.

"We're continuing our investigation. We're in the process of completing a report to Crown counsel in which we'll be recommending charges against an individual or individuals," she said.

Police expect to submit the report to Crown lawyers in the next couple weeks, she said.

All the recovered Reid pieces have been returned to the Museum of Anthropology and will be examined to determine suitability for exhibition when the museum re-opens in March next year, police said.

The three Mexican jewelry pieces, which were heavily damaged, remain in police hands.

Art Hostage comments:

The drip, drip, affect of releasing information about the recovery of the Bill Reid icons may soon turn into a torrent.

Stolen Art Watch, Tate Gallery Worship of Mammon !!

The Reappointment of Nicholas Serota
Betrayal of Trustees at the Tate

http://www.counterpunch.org/thomson08182008.html

By CHARLES THOMSON

The trustees of the Tate gallery have just announced the reappointment of Sir Nicholas Serota as director. In their enthusiasm they failed to mention this to the prime minister, whose approval is required under the Museums and Galleries Act. It is symptomatic of a culture at the museum which lacks proper accountability and which the Department of Culture, Media and Sport declares it administers “at arm’s length”.

It is also symptomatic of the power that Serota wields over the trustee board. He does not appoint trustees, but attends interviews “in an advisory capacity”. This is astonishing, as the trustee board is his employer. The appointment of those sympathetic to his views – or those who have a good reason not to oppose his views – becomes ever easier to achieve, as the interview panel for new trustees are current trustees, whose appointment he has in the past “advised” on: he has had twenty years to get the advice right.

Serota’s ability to achieve his aims is apparent in the trustee minutes recording the purchase of Tate trustee Chris Ofili’s work The Upper Room (over which the Tate was eventually censured for breaking the law by the Charity Commission). The purchase came about because “The Trustees accepted Sir Nicholas Serota’s argument” that it should do. The only serious doubt, over a possible drop in value of the work, was made by Jon Snow (a journalist by trade), seconded in an exchange arrangement from the National Gallery board, but “Nicholas Serota assured him this was not the case” and this pronouncement was the end of the matter.

Three of the twelve trustees are artists. At one time these were senior figures, whose reputations were secure and who had nothing to lose by speaking their mind, as opposed to artists in mid-career, who have a lot to gain from the Tate director’s approbation and a lot to lose from his disfavour. After ten years in office, Serota made this comment regarding the sculptor, Antony Caro: “Tony was well over 60 when he became a trustee. He was a very effective trustee, actually. He cared passionately about certain things and was a powerful force...but it just seems to work better when you have artists who are a new generation, or indeed erring on the younger side, really."

All artist trustees during Serota’s tenure have had works acquired by the gallery, in one case fifty works. Thomas Hoving, former director at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, had this to say on the Tate’s acquisition of Ofili’s work: "To think they thought there's not even a perception of a conflict … For goodness' sake, it's so obvious.”

The Tate was equally blind to an obvious conflict of interest with the appointment to trusteeship of Melanie Clore, whose four year term finished recently. She is Board Director and Deputy Chairman, Sotheby's Europe, and its Co-Chairman, Impressionist & Modern Art, Worldwide. In a two year period she “left the room” three times at trustee meetings over conflicts of interest. She was, however, present in the room on 15 November 2006, when Tate trustees were informed of a forthcoming major retrospective by artist (and former trustee) Peter Doig to take place the following February – an event bound to boost his prices. The day before the trustee meeting, a Doig painting with an upper estimate of £1.5 million had sold at Sotheby’s for only £445,000. Nine days after the trustee meeting, The New York Times reported that Sotheby’s had bought seven Doigs from Charles Saatchi for $11 mil­lion. Doig’s exhibition opened at the Tate on 5 February. On 7 February Sotheby’s auctioned one of its Doigs for £5,732,000.

Clore has said that the Sotheby’s purchase was completed about seven weeks before Doig’s show was announced at the trustee meeting (although it is not clear whether or not she had knowledge of the show prior to the meeting) and that she didn’t speak to anyone at Sotheby’s about the show until it was public knowledge. Even the fact that she is in the position of having to make that denial at all shows the lack of discrimination and responsibility in trustee selection at the gallery. Altogether, trustees “left the room” on ten occasions during a two year period, the chairman, Paul Myners, on two of them. The Department of Culture, Media and Sport guidelines warn against even the appearance of conflict of interest.

There is no evidence in the trustee minutes that the board is anything other than a rubber stamp for whatever proposals are put to it by the director. The realpolitik of the relationship between Serota and his nominal overseers was demonstrated during the recovery of two stolen Turner paintings in 2000 and 2002. The recovery of the Turners involved crucial decisions of ethics, legality and finance: £3.5 million was handed over to a somewhat murky destination to regain the works. The board of trustees take legal responsibility for the operations of the gallery, yet incredibly only two of the dozen trustees were informed of the details of the rescue operation (one of them not being Paul Myners, now the chairman), along with another then-Tate employee, Sandy Nairne, (who was rewarded with the Directorship of National Portrait Gallery as his Turner reward), and a representative of an insurance syndicate, (Mark Dalrymple).

The strength and independence of the trustee board has been eroded. It does not represent a balance of views and it does not represent the wider public, as it should. Far from fulfilling the legal requirement that “the director shall be responsible to the Board for the general exercise of the Board’s function”, the board has become the stooge of the director. There needs to be a government review and protocols established so that genuinely independent voices take trustee office. Regarding the current self-perpetuating coterie at the Tate, the obvious solution is an entirely new board to be chosen by an independent body, and the last person who should have a say in this is the Tate director.

Serota petition: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/tatedirector

Charles Thomson is co-founder of the Stuckists art group

Art Hostage comments:

The Turner recovery may yet come back to haunt Demonic Old Nick Serota, his pet pooch Sandy Nairne and Mark Dalrymple. The German prosecutors office are still trying to get an indictment and European Arrest warrant issued.

The Tate Gallery is the House of Avarice whose worship of Mammon will prove to be the undoing of this once great institution.

Stolen Art Watch, Brazil Art Heist, Last Man Standing !!

Brazil police recover 2 more works from art heist

http://www.reuters.com/article/artsNews/idUSN0727754420080807

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian police have arrested a second suspect and recovered two more artworks that were stolen with two Picasso prints from Sao Paulo's Pinacoteca Museum in broad daylight in June.

Police said on Thursday they arrested Edmilson Silva do Nascimento, a 29-year-old bakery manager, at his home on Sao Paulo's east side on Wednesday night.

They found two of the stolen pieces, both the work of Brazilian artists, under his bed -- a print titled "The Couple" by Lasar Segall (1891-1957), and the painting "Women in a Window" by Emiliano Di Cavalcanti (1897-1976), one of Brazil's most renowned painters.

Together, they are worth about 1 million reais ($633,000), according to the Sao Paulo state Culture Secretariat.

The works were stolen on June 12 by three armed robbers, who calmly strolled into the Pinacoteca Museum and held security guards at gunpoint while they completed the heist.

They also made off with two prints by the late Spanish artist Pablo Picasso -- "The Painter and the Model" from 1963 and "Minotaur, Drinker and Women" from 1933.

Police arrested a suspect last month when they recovered "The Painter and the Model." A third suspect, who is believed to be in possession of "Minotaur, Drinker and Women," is still at large.

The robbery marked the second time in less than a year that works by Picasso were stolen from museums in the city. In December, his "Portrait of Suzanne Bloch" was snatched from the Sao Paulo Museum of Art along with "The Coffee Worker" by Candido Portinari, another prominent Brazilian artist.

Police recovered the paintings and arrested two suspects a few weeks later.

(Reporting by Marjorie Rodrigues; writing by Todd Benson; editing by Mohammad Zargham)

Art Hostage comments:

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Told you they were local.

Stolen Art Watch, Whitey Bulger in Donegal, Ireland, About to be Arrested !!

Art Hostage has learnt Whitey Bulger is reputed to be in Donegal, Ireland, Letterkenny perhaps, and law enforcement are closing in.

Law Enforcement are boasting Whitey Bulger will be arrested before the end of August 2008.

Now, is that with or without the stolen Gardner art, Vermeer in particular ??

H'm, we'll see !!

Stolen Art Watch, Caravaggio Frame Blowing in the Wind !!

Ukraine laments theft of a Caravaggio from museum
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSL141835820080801?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0

ODESSA, Ukraine (Reuters Life!) - Art experts in Ukraine on Friday lamented the theft of a work by 17th century Italian artist Caravaggio from a museum, describing it as a cultural catastrophe for ex-Soviet states.

Staff at the Museum of Western and Eastern Art in the Black Sea port of Odessa discovered the painting, called the Taking of Christ, or the Kiss of Judas, missing, cut from its frame when they arrived at work on Thursday.

As the museum had been closed the previous day, the thieves could have struck any time from Tuesday evening.

Police said they entered through a window, bypassing an outdated alarm system by removing a pane of glass rather than breaking it. They then escaped across the museum's roof.

"This is a cultural catastrophe, a national tragedy. There is so little of art of such level in the former Soviet Union," said Vitaly Abramov, deputy head of a second museum in the city, the Odessa Art Museum.

"You cannot put a price on this and I am not talking about money here. It is, in every sense, priceless."

Auction houses in London declined to give a valuation of a Caravaggio.

Television pictures showed the window where the thieves had entered, its alarm disabled and its frame in bad repair.

"We came in here to find that the wind was blowing the blinds around through a window with no pane," Lyudmila Saulenko, the museum's deputy director told reporters.


"And where the painting had hung we just saw its stretcher. The painting had been removed from its frame."

The painting had been bought by a Russian ambassador to France and presented as a gift to a Russian prince before being turned over to the Odessa museum last century.

Doubts had been expressed about the painting's authenticity, but Soviet art experts in the 1950s confirmed the work was in fact by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. It underwent restoration work in 2006.

A version of the same painting by Caravaggio hangs in the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin.

News reports said city police had been urging the museum to update its alarm system, dating from the mid-1990s, but the suggestion was turned down on financial grounds.

"Thefts, of course, do occur in great museums like the Hermitage (in St Petersburg) or the Louvre (in Paris)," Abramov said. "But the answer is to put in a truly effective alarm system and not postpone this."

(Writing by Ron Popeski and Paul Casciato)

Art Hostage comments:

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Semion Mogilevich, criminal charges dropped, Caravaggio will surface.

Stolen Art Watch, Caravaggio Theft, Second Version or on Loan From Ireland ???

The Taking of Christ (Caravaggio)

The Taking of Christ is a painting by the Italian Baroque master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (c. 1602). It is housed in the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin.

There are seven figures in the painting, from left to right: St John, Jesus, Judas, two soldiers, a man and a soldier. They are standing, and only the upper three-quarters of their bodies are depicted. The figures are arrayed before a very dark background, in which the setting is disguised. The main light source is not evident in the painting but comes from the upper left. There is a lantern being held by the man at the right. At the far left, a man is fleeing; his arms are raised, his mouth is open in a gasp, his cloak is flying and being snatched back by a soldier. This man has been identified as St John.

Some art historians believe that the man holding the lantern is a self-portrait of Caravaggio himself.

By the late 18th century, the painting was thought to have disappeared, and its whereabouts remained unknown for about 200 years. In 1990, Caravaggio’s lost masterpiece was recognized in the residence of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) in Dublin, Ireland. The exciting rediscovery was published in 1993.

The painting had been hanging in the Dublin Jesuits’ dining room since the early 1930s but had long been considered a copy of the lost original by Gerard van Honthorst, also known as Gherardo della Notte, one of Caravaggio’s Dutch followers. This erroneous attribution had been made while the painting was in the possession of the Roman Mattei family, whose ancestors had originally commissioned it. In 1802, the Mattei sold it, as a work by Honthorst, to William Hamilton Nisbet, in whose home in Scotland it hung until 1921. Later in that decade, the painting was sold to an Irish pediatrician who eventually donated it to the Jesuit Fathers in Dublin, in gratitude for their support following the death of her husband.

The Taking of Christ remained in the Dublin Jesuits' possession for about 60 years, until it was spotted and recognised, in the early 1990s, by Sergio Benedetti, Senior Conservator of the National Gallery of Ireland, while he was visiting the Jesuit Fathers in order to examine a number of other paintings for the purposes of restoration. As layers of dirt and discoloured varnish were removed, the high technical quality of the painting was revealed, and it was tentatively identified as Caravaggio’s lost painting.

The painting is on long-term loan to the National Gallery of Ireland and was also displayed at the 2006 Rembrandt Caravaggio exhibition in the van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.

Much of the credit for verifying the authenticity of this painting belongs to Francesca Cappelletti and Laura Testa, two graduate students at the University of Rome. During a long period of research, they found the first recorded mention of The Taking of Christ, in an ancient and decaying account book documenting the original commission and payments to Caravaggio, in the archives of the Mattei family, kept in the cellar of a palazzo in the small town of Recanati.

A nod was made to the finding of the "The taking of the Christ" by Caravaggio in the film "Ordinary Decent Criminal" starring Kevin Spacey


Art Hostage comments:

A wonderful story, but if true, then what was stolen in Odessa, a second version, this version on loan from Ireland??

Sorry, but is this whole thing a hoax, anyone speak Russian ??

Stolen Art Watch, Caravaggio Held Art Hostage Until Semion Released, on Bail That Is !!

The Kiss of Judas by Caravaggio disappeared from Odessa museum

Kiev, July 31, Interfax - Odessa Museum of Western and Eastern Art missed the painting by Caravaggio The Taking of Christ (or - The Kiss of Judas).

The painting is dated by 1573-1602. It was supposedly stolen in the period from 06.00 p.m. Wednesday to 10.00 a.m. Thursday, the museum source has reported.

The Ambassador of the Russian Empire in France acquired the painting and transferred it to the Odessa Art College early in the 20th century. Then it belonged to the Gallery of the old painting (today's Museum of Western and Eastern Art) However, Caravaggio authorship was under question. In mid 1950s, it was proven that the Italian master in fact painted this work.

Kiev specialists restored the masterpiece in 2006.

Regional administration for internal affairs has informed that police officials and cynologists conducted investigation in the museum.

"The windows had been carefully removed and that is how the criminal got into the museum. The alarm did not go off because the windows had not been broken," Odessa police chief Vladimir Bossenko was quoted by the news agency as saying.

The museum is closed for a cleanup day.

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Art Hostage comments:

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Semion Mogilevich is the key to solving this case.

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If Semion can be released on bail he will facilitate the safe return of the painting in the blink of an eye.

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More to follow.............................................

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Update:

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Sorry, the Russian translation is not that clear.

http://fakty.interia.pl/biznes/news/przestepczy-swiat-w-branzy-energetycznej,1149498,2949

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Semion Mogilevich has already got bail and has been released, this art theft is going to be used to secure a better deal.

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Semion Mogilevich already has an interest in the stolen Rubens to use as a bargaining chip, so the Caravaggio will complement that.

Stolen Art Watch, Elitist Anti-Semitism at the Heart of Looted Art Controversy !!

'Change Law So Looted Art Can Be Returned'

http://www.totallyjewish.com/news/national/?content_id=9678

Launching a new campaign this week, a Labour politician set his sights on changing the law to enable national museums and galleries whose collections include artworks stolen by the Nazis to return them to their rightful owners.

Hendon MP Andrew Dismore, who several years ago was among those who campaigned successfully for the establishment of the spoliation panel to help resolve disputes over stolen artefacts, is hoping that a drive which began recently with a series of parliamentary questions will conclude with new legislation later this year.

“Whilst the panel has been successful in identifying stolen works of art, and there has been some restitution, it has not worked as satisfactorily as it could,” he said.

“National museums and galleries are not permitted by law to “de-access” works of art held in their collections, even in these circumstances. They can only pay compensation. It seems to me that the owner of an art work identified as stolen by the Nazis ought to have the right to decide whether they wish for the art work to be returned, or to have compensation: it should be their choice, not the choice of the museums.”

In 2005, the government said it would begin work on altering the law to allow all nationally-held collections to return pieces later found to have been looted. The pledge came after the High Court ruled that a collection of Old Master drawings plundered from the home of Czechoslovakian doctor Arthur Feldmann in 1939 – and later purchased by the British Museum - could not be returned without changing the 1963 British Museum Act, which prevents the institution from breaking up any part of the collection. The Museum had long accepted that the Feldmann art case represents a “unique moral claim”.

But now, Dismore is hoping that the forthcoming Heritage Protection Bill - that is mainly seeking a revision of legislation that protects historic environments – will provide an opportunity to include amendments to change the law to a situation more akin to Austria where museums are obligated to return looted items.

The MP’s campaign, which follows earlier efforts by Tory MP Edward Vaizey to help resolve the matter, has been welcomed by the Board of Deputies. President Henry Grunwald said: “We hope that it will result in the resolution of this unhappy and complex matter.” Anne Webber, co-chair of the Commission for Looted Art in Europe, added: “We hope his intervention will speed up the legislation process.”

Art Hostage comments:

Now, don't get me started on this issue.

Ask yourself this question:

"If the looted art from the WWII had been primarily owned by Gentiles would those looted/stolen artworks still grace the walls of Elitist Anti-Semitic institutions, museums and public buildings, not just in the UK, but all over Europe ???"

The answer would be, "Of course not, all looted art would have been returned within ten years from the end of WWII."

It beggars belief that decedents of Holocaust victims can go to museums and see their murdered relatives artworks being openly displayed.

Shame on all of us for allowing this to continue !!

Question:

What would happen if a museum that housed looted artworks were to be robbed of those looted artworks ?

Would they be regarded as stolen, and if so, from whom ??

Stolen Art Watch, Pandemic Dane-Geld See's Charles Goldie Theft Take Two !!

Valuable Goldie painting stolen

http://3news.co.nz/News/NationalNews/ValuableGoldiepaintingstolen/tabid/423/articleID/63825/cat/64/Default.aspx

A Charles Goldie portrait of a Maori woman has been stolen from a home in Mosgiel.

Mosgiel police said the theft was thought to have taken place between February and July this year but was only recently discovered by the owners.

The painting was a head and shoulders portrait of a Maori woman looking back over her shoulder. She has a moko and her hair tied back.

The painting was about 24cm by 18cm in an oval, wooden frame.

It was a gift to a member of the family from the artist more than 60 years ago. "Goldie paintings are quite distinctive and it is hoped that somebody knows something of this painting's whereabouts," said Senior Constable David Leonard.

"As it was a gift to the family they are quite distraught about its disappearance as it has sentimental and historical value to them," he said.
Anyone with any information should contact police.

The painting had never been valued for insurance purposes, nor was there a photograph of it available.

Charles Frederick Goldie, 1870-1947, is one of New Zealand's best known and most controversial painters.

He is famous for his precise, detailed portraits of Maori wearing moko.

Art Hostage comments:

Here we go again, get Chris Comesky on the phone, he will do the same thing as with the medals stolen and we will have this Goldie back home by lights out.

Prophetic words from a war hero's daughter, watch this video below and see how Danegeld works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6S5CpJU2fU

Danegeld for previous stolen Goldie painting linked here:

http://stolenvermeer.blogspot.com/2007/10/stolen-art-watch-goldie-for-freedom.html

Dangeld for the stolen medals linked here:

http://stolenvermeer.blogspot.com/2008/02/stolen-art-watch-danger-of-danegeld.html


Danegeld becomes a pandemic, linked here:

http://arthostage.blogspot.com/2008/06/stolen-art-watch-bill-reid-heist-danger.html

More to follow....................................

Stolen Art Watch, Swedish Art Heist, Details Emerge

Works by pop art masters taken from Swedish museum
http://www.iht.com/articles/reuters/2008/07/18/europe/OUKWD-UK-SWEDEN-THEFT.php

STOCKHOLM: Thieves broke into a museum near Stockholm overnight and stole five works by American pop artists Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, the manager said on Friday.

The pictures, two lithographs by Warhol and three by Lichtenstein, were together estimated to be worth between 3 million and 4 million Swedish crowns (250,000 and 335,000 pounds), said Carina Aberg of the family-run Aberg Museum.

She said the thieves spent less than 10 minutes in the building.

"They knew exactly what they were doing. They had been here and planned the whole thing," she told Reuters.

She said the Warhol works stolen were entitled "Mickey Mouse" and "Superman", from a series known as "Myths".

The Lichtenstein works taken were "Crak", "Sweet Dreams, Baby!" and "Dagwood".

The Walt Disney poster is called "The New Spirit"

Art Hostage comments:

These will be rolled up and tubed ready for transportation.

Dependent on how many other copies are around of each lithograph or the poster will determine which can be sold into the legitimate market in the future.

If there are not any specific distinctions of these versions then I am afraid who is to tell which versions are copies and which versions are legitimate ??

Stolen Art Watch, Warhol Whipped, Three Lichtenstein's Lifted, Sweden Suffers Latest Art Heist !!

STOCKHOLM, Sweden:

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/18/news/Pop-Art-Theft.php

Officials say one or more thieves broke into a Swedish museum and stole work done by American pop icons Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.

Police say the break-in happened at the Abergs Museum near Stockholm early Friday.

Museum officials say two Warhol and three Lichtenstein paintings were stolen as well as a Disney movie-poster.

The museum estimates the value of the stolen artwork at around $500,000.

Police had no immediate suspects in the case.

Art Hostage comments:

More to follow.............

Stolen Art Watch, Shakespeare Folio, Elaborate Extortion Plan Swings into Action !!!

My innocent role in Shakespeare drama

Published Date:

http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/My-innocent-role-in-Shakespeare.4285133.jp
14 July 2008
By Ross Robertson

A collector arrested over the theft of a rare Shakespeare manuscript worth more than £15million today insisted he was innocent.

Raymond Scott, 51, was released on bail at the weekend after being interviewed by detectives over a first folio of a collection of works by The Bard, which disappeared a decade ago from Durham University library.

But the eccentric dealer, who lives in Wigeon Close, Albany, Washington, with his 81-year-old mother Hannah, said the book seized by police was not the one stolen from Durham, but was, in fact, bought in Cuba.

"I have done nothing wrong at all," he said. "There are questions over the rarity of this book.

"In July 2006 a copy was sold at Sotheby's. It is by no means a unique item.

"I have done nothing wrong. I came by the manuscript through contacts in Cuba and took it to the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC."

Mr Scott said he had even suggested that the Washington Post newspaper be contacted about the discovery, which he said was "not the act of a person with something to hide."

He said: "I'm afraid the celebrations at the University of Durham were premature. It is not the manuscript that was stolen.

"The police are welcome to ask me anything, including my inside leg measurement, which, for the record, is 31-and-a-half inches, but I have not done anything wrong at all."

Mr Scott said boxes of books were taken from his home by police as part of the investigation, but added most of them were new and could be bought from a high street bookseller.

It is believed police also took the 51-year-old's yellow Ferrari away
The incident has shocked neighbours in the sleepy suburban street.

They describe Mr Scott as an eccentric who could often be seen preening his classic sports cars – including a rare Ferrari Dino – wearing a silk dressing gown, sun glasses and rubber marigold gloves.

"I wear them because I have sensitive skin. I don't see anything wrong in that.

"I have also been described as a Walter Mitty, which I am not. If I'd wanted to spin out a tale I would still be in the police station now.

"I was also described by someone as having a love for Armani suits. I have many fine suits, but I am not fond of Georgio Armani."

* THE first folio edition of a collection of the works of William Shakespeare, published in 1623, was one of a number of manuscripts and books stolen from Durham University library in December 1998.

Police in Durham were alerted by the British Embassy in the United States two weeks ago after a man asked the respected library in Washington DC to verify if the book was genuine.

A police spokesman said: "It is understood he told staff he was an international businessman who had bought the folio in Cuba and agreed to leave it with the library for research to be carried out."

Other items that disappeared in the Palace Green library raid were an early handwritten manuscript bearing an English translation of the New Testament dating from the late 14th or early 15th century and a handwritten manuscript of the same period containing a fragment of a poem written by Geoffrey Chaucer. author of the Canterbury Tales.

Books included two works by the 10th Century scholar Aelfric that were printed in 1566, a first edition version of Beowulf printed in 1815 and a 1612 book of maps and poetry.

The stolen items were among more than 50 exhibits charting the progress of English literature from the Middle Ages to the 20th century which had been on public show in two rooms of the library.

When the items were stolen they were described as a "unique and irreplaceable part of the region's heritage" and would be virtually impossible to sell to legitimate buyers.

The full article contains 657 words and appears in Sunderland Echo newspaper.

Art Hostage comments:

Art Hostage has learnt from an inside source close to Raymond Scott that this whole episode is all part of an elaborate extortion plan whereby the Durham University will not be able to positively identify this copy as their stolen Shakespeare Folio.

Raymond Scott and accomplices have scoured the folio and are satisfied there no identifying marks that could distinguish it as the Durham University copy.

So, now there will be a court case and hopefully for Raymond Scott and gang the Durham University will make an offer to settle out of court for several million dollars.

Even if the case were to go to court the outcome is not clear unless the Durham University can prove this indeed their stolen Shakespeare folio.

Raymond Scott's love of Cigar's, Dom Perignon champagne and a young naive poor Cuban girlfriend do not enhance the reputation needed to pull this scam off.

Raymond Scott would have been better to have played the conservative book dealer quietly going about his business.

Nice attempt Raymond Scott, too bad Art Hostage is not only one step ahead of you guys, but a whole zip/post code !!

Seems this Cuban girl is less than enthusiastic about the attentions of Raymond Scott, something lecherous about him pawing this unfortunate girl don't you think ?????

Stolen Art Watch, Shakespeare First Edition Appears Like Magic !!

Stolen 17th century First Folio Shakespeare recovered

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2287619/Stolen-17th-century-First-Folio-Shakespeare-recovered.html

By Richard Alleyne and Paul Stokes

A £15 million First Folio edition of the complete works of Shakespeare stolen 10 years ago from a British university has been recovered after an English book dealer handed it into an American library.

The anthology, printed in 1623, seven years after the bard's death, is described as "the most important printed book in the English language" and was among a number of manuscripts taken from the Durham University Library in December 1998.

It is believed the book, the definitive collection of Shakespeare plays from which most subsequent editions are based, would have a market value of at least £15 million if it was ever sold.

Yesterday Durham Police confirmed that Raymond Scott, 51, had showed it to staff at a prestigious library in Washington DC, and asked them to verify it was genuine.

Explaining that he was an international businessman who had acquired the volume in Cuba, he left it with librarians, whose research revealed it to have been stolen.

The findings sparked an international manhunt involving the Durham force and America's Federal Bureau of Investigation and to the arrest of Mr Scott at his home in Sunderland which he shared with his 80-year-old mother Hannah.

Only 1,000 of the highly decorated First Folios were ever printed and it is believed that only 228 still exist - more than a third of them in the Folger Shakespeare Library, where it was handed in.

The last time one came up at auction, it went for £2.5 million.

Bill Bryson, Chancellor of Durham University and author of an acclaimed book on Shakespeare, said: "This is not only wonderful news for Durham University but for all Shakespeare's scholars and fans around the world, of which I am most definitely one.

"Like Shakespeare himself, this book is a national treasure giving a rare and beautiful snapshot of Britain's incredible literary heritage.

"I'll certainly be joining the crowds who will be eagerly welcoming it home."

When the First Folio was stolen they were described as a "unique and irreplaceable part of the region's heritage" and would be virtually impossible to sell to legitimate buyers.

Other items that disappeared at the same time in the Palace Green library raid were an early handwritten manuscript bearing an English translation of the New Testament dating from the late 14th or early 15th century and a handwritten manuscript of the same period containing a fragment of a poem written by

Geoffrey Chaucer, author of the Canterbury Tales.

Books included two works by the 10th Century scholar Aelfric that were printed in 1566, a first edition version of Beowulf printed in 1815 and a 1612 book of maps and poetry.

The stolen items were among more than 50 exhibits charting the progress of English literature from the Middle Ages to the 20th century which had been on public show in two rooms of the library.

Glass topped display cabinets had been forced and the two medieval manuscripts and five books had disappeared.

Vice-Chancellor of Durham University Professor Chris Higgins said: "Staff and the community felt a huge sense of loss when the books were stolen, so you can imagine my excitement and delight when I received the call from the police to say the First Folio had been found."

Detective Superintendent Andy Reddick, who is co-ordinating the inquiry, said the Shakespeare remains in the safe care of the Washington library.

He added: "A search of the house at Washington (Sunderland) began yesterday and that will continue today."

According to neighbours Mr Scott is a far cry from the image of international art thieves who were originally blamed for the theft.

Despite living in his mother's modern semi-detached house, he dressed in Armani suits and drove a succession of expensive cars including a balck Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce and lately a silver Ferrari with the personalised number plate M1 TZI.

Neighbours recall him washing the car while dressed in a silk dressing gown and slippers and also sitting on a plastic chair in his immaculately kept tiny front garden in a designer suit with a glass of white wine in one hand and a book in the other on fine days. He wore thick rimmed "Michael Cain-style" black spectacles.

Another neighbour, whose father knew him well, said he was "a kind and generous' man who regularly brought gifts back from his travels abroad.

"He was just a perfect gentleman,' she said. 'He would travel abroad regularly to Monte Carlo, Monaco, Cuba, Paris and would bring back cigars and football shirts for his friends.

"On his most recent trip he flew to Cuba for two weeks. On his way back he stopped off in Paris. He was just a wealthy man who was enjoying his money whilst taking care of his mother.

"He always struck me as a nice man who was always friendly. I couldn't believe it yesterday when he was led away from the house in handcuffs."

Art Hostage comments:

Shakespeare found it very difficult to drink beer throughout his life, why ??

Well, every time Shakespeare went into a pub or bar and ordered a drink of beer, the owner replied "Your Bard"

Scott must be suffering from self destruct syndrome !!!

Stolen Art Watch, Naval Thieves Turn Stomach !!

Valuable jewels and antiques stolen in raid

http://www.thisishampshire.net/news/hampshirenews/display.var.2385032.0.valuable_jewels_and_antiques_stolen_in_raid.php

Valuable jewellery, antiques and a set of four naval paintings have been stolen from a country house in Winchester, police said.

Burglars forced a downstairs window to get inside the house near Kilmeston village.

They were disturbed when the owner returned and drove off with several items of jewellery, antiques including an engagement ring, a set of four naval paintings, a carriage clock and a silver dish.

Hampshire police said at least two suspects were involved and one was described as early to mid-20s, athletic, around 6ft tall and wearing a grey, baggy top.

Police investigator Peter Davies said: ''This is a burglary on a large country house where several items of high sentimental and monetary value have been taken.

''There is a good chance the suspects were in the area of the house some time prior to the incident.

''We would appeal to anyone who may have been in the area at the time of the burglary to contact us if they saw anyone acting suspiciously or saw any vehicles acting in a suspicious manner.

''We would advise owners of large country residences to always ensure their properties are secure and to review their security as a matter of course."

Anyone with information should contact Winchester police station on 0845 045 45 45 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Art Hostage comments:

Art Hostage was once asked if he was a Naval man ?

Art Hostage replied, "No, more of leg man !!"

Well, it did say a set of four Naval paintings were stolen.

Stolen Art Watch, Canberra Roberts Stolen in a Cavalier Fashion !!

Painting's theft carefully disguised

Louise Schwartzkoff and Yuko Narushima
July 4, 2008

http://www.smh.com.au/news/arts/paintings-theft-carefully-disguised/2008/07/03/1214950914251.html

Thieves who stole a $25,000 painting from the Australian National University in Canberra disguised the theft by unbolting the plaque beneath the artwork and rubbing down the wooden veneer wall behind.

The 1928 oil on canvas by Tom Roberts, Road Near The Goulburn River, might have been missing since late April, but its disappearance was noticed only on June 19 after a routine audit of the collection. The university reported the theft to police on Wednesday.

At 56 centimetres by 45.5 centimetres, the painting was small enough to be hidden under a jacket. The thieves removed its bolts and took it from a function room where it was hanging with several less valuable paintings. The other works were untouched and the wall left looking as new.

"The disappearance of the painting has been carefully disguised," said the university's acting vice-chancellor, Lawrence Cram. "You would need to know it was there beforehand [to tell it was missing]."

The artworks were protected by little more than a locked door, but Professor Cram said it would be impractical to introduce surveillance cameras. "We do have quite a lot of precautions to make it difficult to remove the pieces of art, but we'll have to look at whether it's possible to continue leaving these pieces on display."

ACT police are appealing to the public for information.

But even art experts may not immediately recognise Road Near The Goulburn River as Roberts's work. The head curator of Australian art at the Art Gallery of NSW, Barry Pearce, said: "It doesn't jump out as an obvious, famous Roberts painting and that might make it more difficult for a buyer to trace it back to a collection and realise it is stolen."

Art Hostage comments:

Waiting for more information to filter through, reward offer, how much etc, and from the Underworld who is currently in possession of this fine work of art by Roberts, keep you posted..

Update:

Seems the thieves are Laughing at authorities in a Cavalier fashion !!!

Stolen Art Watch, Bill Reid Heist, Danger of Danegeld !! Updated !

BILL REID ARTWORK

No new tips on missing art

MARSHA LEDERMAN

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080618.BCBRIEFS18/TPStory/?query=bill+reid+

June 18, 2008

VANCOUVER -- The RCMP say no new tips have come in since they appealed last week for the safe return of two missing Bill Reid artworks, after the theft last month at Vancouver's Museum of Anthropology.

Constable Annie Linteau says investigators have received no new information from the public, despite an appeal by police for information on the two missing pieces - a gold eagle brooch and an argillite pipe panel.

Meanwhile, a media report suggests charges may never be laid in the case.

According to the CBC, a deal was worked out with the suspects, offering immunity or at least leniency if the artworks were recovered intact.

The report also says one of the Bill Reid items surfaced at a Vancouver pawn shop 24 hours after the May 23-24 theft, but was reclaimed by the person who brought it in after the intense media coverage surrounding the thefts.

Thirteen of the 15 items stolen from the museum were recovered in raids in Burnaby and New Westminster more than a week ago.

All of the Reid items were in good shape, according to police, but the three stolen pieces of Mexican jewellery had been dismantled.

Three suspects were taken in for questioning, but no charges were laid.

Art Hostage comments:

Information coming in, one last push guys, Danegeld first, then final return, otherwise

Norway will they return !!!

Rudyard Kipling Danegeld

IT IS always a temptation to an armed and agile nation,
To call upon a neighbour and to say:
"We invaded you last night - we are quite prepared to fight,
Unless you pay us cash to go away."

And that is called asking for Dane-geld,
And the people who ask it explain
That you’ve only to pay ’em the Dane-geld
And then you’ll get rid of the Dane!

It is always a temptation to a rich and lazy nation,
To puff and look important and to say:
"Though we know we should defeat you, we have not the time to meet you.
We will therefore pay you cash to go away."

And that is called paying the Dane-geld;
But we’ve proved it again and again,
That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld
You never get rid of the Dane.

It is wrong to put temptation in the path of any nation,
For fear they should succumb and go astray,
So when you are requested to pay up or be molested,
You will find it better policy to say:

"We never pay any one Dane-geld,
No matter how trifling the cost,
For the end of that game is oppression and shame,
And the nation that plays it is lost!"

Recent history of Danegeld

http://stolenvermeer.blogspot.com/2008/02/stolen-art-watch-danger-of-danegeld.html

sound familiar Marsha ??

more to follow........................

Update:

Lynette Tien, are you being a good girl ??

Dale Fedoruk, are you being a good boy ??

Not to forget Lance and Angela !!

Hope it is not true the Bill Reid pipe has suffered damage ?

If the damage to the Pipe is preventing it being returned then don't worry it can be repaired, better back damaged, then not back at all !!

Lets put this whole episode to bed and see both the final Bill Reid icons returned, if the Eagle pin has not been already !!!

More to come.................. Careful, someone will get shot in the head !!!!

Stolen Art Watch, Bill Reid Theft Norway Connection !!!

Balume kashongwe your mom wants to know if you are alright ???

The guys in Norway are wondering about you !!!!

Aaron Syberg, feeling the heat yet ???

Gerald "Danny Boy" Blanchard, another fine mess to clear up !!!

RCMP, Have you advised the McMICHAEL CANADIAN COLLECTION. Kleinberg Toronto to conduct a fresh security assessment ??

********, have you been paid the reward yet, no, didn't think so !!!

To be continued..............................

Stolen Art Watch, Bill Reid Mastermind Planning Next Heist, Even Bigger,The McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Toronto !!!

Group of Seven in Danger !!

Art Hostage has some astonishing news coming from the Canadian Underworld.

Remember the early reports about the Bill Reid theft and the leading suspect was "Out of jail" on the night of the Bill Reid theft ?

Either Gerald "Danny Boy" Blanchard/ Aaron Syberg when they got back to jail were interrogated by a convicted Underworld Godfather, before telling the guys to hand the Bill Reid Icons back.

However, this information was relayed to the RCMP via a nominee so they could collect any reward and the RMCP attended the scene and recovered the Bill Reid Icons.

Now the Convicted Underworld Godfather will try and collect the reward via a proxy and the whole matter will then be swept under the carpet, not least because allowing either Gerald Danny Boy Blanchard or Aaron Syberg to be released, let alone released to commit Canada's biggest Cultural art heist, is embarrassing to say the least.

O'h boy, it gets allot worse, trust me.

Now the Bill Reid Icons have nearly all been recovered, Gerald "Danny Boy" Blanchard/Aaron Syberg are looking to the future.

What is the next target for the Blanchard Gang ?

Art Hostage has been given details, interested ?

Apparently, The McMichael Canadian Art Collection houses paintings by the so-called "Group of Seven" which would attract an even bigger outcry, and even bigger reward.

It is in a place called Kleinburg near Toronto and Blanchard/Syberg have been given details to work on a sophisticated heist.

Although Blanchard and Syberg may have fallen out over certain things, when it comes to the bottom line a Modus Vivendi will work.

It must be said however, that whilst in jail both Blanchard and Syberg have been offered many heists, some rejected out of hand, this one apparently The McMichael Canadian Art Collection Heist has legs.

Perhaps the RCMP Toronto should pay a visit to The McMichael Canadian Art Collection and conduct a new security review.

Whether any new security at The McMichael Canadian Art Collection will thwart Gerald Danny Boy Blanchard, Aaron Syberg and their new found Underworld Godfather paymasters remains to be seen.

To be continued.....................................

Update:

Well this, if true, is astonishing.

Apparently, the telephone call to hoodwink the Security guards at the University of British Columbia, fooling them about the CCTV going offline at the Museum of Anthropology, was made, wait for it, from Jail by either Gerald Danny Boy Blanchard, Aaron Syberg or another inmate involved.

The Bill Reid post-mortem is getting worse by the minute !!