Stolen Art Watch, Dutch Art Theft, Replacement on the Way !!!!

Wolfgang Joop Will Sell Vampish Lempicka Portraits at Sotheby’s


http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=afgJN16TugQQ

May 4 (Bloomberg) -- Wolfgang Joop, the German fashion designer, will sell 10 paintings by the Art Deco artist Tamara de Lempicka, with a total top estimate of $18.6 million, at a Sotheby’s New York auction this week.

Among the works on offer in the May 5 and 6 sale are a portrait of Duchesse de la Salle in a manly suit, and one of Marjorie Ferry, draped in white cloth like a Greek statue. Both paintings have top estimates of $6 million. Joop, 64, said by e- mail that he has decided to stop collecting and instead wants to concentrate on creating his own art.

“In my 2003 autobiographical novel ‘Im Wolfspelz,’ I have my main character Wolf in his New York penthouse being asked by a Tamara de Lempicka picture, ‘Why did you buy me instead of painting me?’” Joop said in an e-mailed answer to written questions. “Now as an artist, I am investing the money I earn in my own art. My collecting years are behind me.”

Sotheby’s described Joop’s Lempickas as “the finest group of paintings by the artist ever to appear at auction.” Joop said he isn’t concerned about the timing of the sale, which comes as Sotheby’s and its rival Christie’s International cut jobs. Contemporary-art prices have dropped 30 to 50 percent during the past six months in the worst recession since World War II, according to dealers.

‘Already Proven’

“In crisis times, only what is already proven can survive,” Joop said. “A Damien Hirst auction like the one in the fall of 2008 would certainly not be as successful” if it took place now, he said. Hirst’s two-day “Beautiful Inside My Head Forever” sale in London raised 111.5 million pounds ($163 million). “If I were a new collector with a big budget, I would buy Tamara.”

Lempicka was born in 1898 to a family of Polish-Russian aristocrats. She married a Warsaw lawyer with no money, and together they fled from the Bolsheviks in 1918 to Paris.

There she led a decadent lifestyle and gained a reputation as a portrait artist. She moved to the U.S. before World War II with her second husband and became the favorite artist of the Hollywood stars. Her paintings often feature strong, glamorous, modern women -- some are vampish and erotic. Lempicka collectors include Madonna, Jack Nicholson and Barbra Streisand. Joop said Madonna owns “Andromeda,” an image of a naked woman in chains.

Strong Women

“Tamara was beautiful, strong, sexually ambivalent as well as an individualist, which attracts me,” he said. “When I design clothes, it is for this type. And the women who surround me and influence me are a little bit Tamara: pale complexions, red lips, bold expressions.”

Joop presented the first collection under his Wunderkind label in Berlin in 2004. The brand now sells in over 100 stores around the world. Wunderkind opened two boutiques in Germany and its first international shop in London last year.

The Lempicka paintings hung in Joop’s New York penthouse, though they were often away from home, on loan to museums around the world, the designer said. He began collecting them in 1978 and bought the last one in 2003.

“I whisked away the first picture, ‘Dans l’Opera,’ from under Andy Warhol’s nose,” he said. “He was a notorious penny pincher, though very rich compared with me back then.”

The 1941 portrait of a woman with flower-adorned red curls and an expansive decolletage has an estimated top price of $400,000. The lowest-priced item is “Portrait d’Evelyne P.” which Sotheby’s expects to fetch between $80,000 and $120,000.

Joop’s own art will go on display at the Kunsthalle Rostock on May 10. According to the museum’s Web site, the show includes a textile installation in several parts that will be presented to the public for the first time. Joop said he is working on “large-format tapestry pictures.”

Sotheby’s will offer four of Joop’s Lempickas on May 5 and six the following day at the New York auction.

“Every separation is painful,” Joop said. “Tamara is my soulmate and it was love at first sight. From 1978 to 2009, we lived together for a while.”

To contact the writer on the story: Catherine Hickley at chickley@bloomberg.net.

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Art Hostage Comments;

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Has anyone alerted Dirk Scheringa and his wife to this sale ??

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If so, then expect them to purchase at least one De Lempicka which can be used as a replacement until the return of the De Lempicka, La Musicienne, stolen last week from the Scheringa Museum for Realism in the North Holland town Spanbroek, which houses the Scheringa Art Collection.

Stolen Art Watch, Dutch Art Robbery See's Dali Melt Into The Underworld, Update !!!!

Armed robbers steal paintings from Dutch museum

Associated Press - May 1, 2009 12:43 PM ET

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) - Dutch police say armed robbers have stolen two paintings from a museum, including a work by surrealist Salvador Dali.

Police say several masked men threatened a guard at the Scheringa Museum for Realism in Spanbroek with a gun Friday before making off with two paintings. Nobody was injured.

The museum said in a statement the robbers took "Adolescence," a 1941 gouache by Dali and "La Muscienne," an oil painting from 1929 by Polish-born art deco painter Tamara de Lempicka.

The paintings' value was not released but the museum say they are among the top works in its collection.

The Dali painting was 45 by 30 centimeters (18 x 12 inches) and the De Lempicka was 116 by 73 centimeters (46 x 29 inches).

Art Hostage Comments:

Memo to Michel Van Rijn, Hang fire, they haven't offered a reward yet !!!

Rob Meeson, I hope these two paintings were not stolen to use as a bargaining chip !!!

However, now they have been swiped, a Dutch auction could be on the cards !!!

Balkan Bandits switch from Jewels to Paintings as Museums provide soft target, we'll see !!!!!

In case you are wondering, the Dali is secondary to the De Lempicka, which is something of an iconic work and worth millions, 3-5, if it was for sale on the open legit market.

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The three innocent looking viewers in the top photo are working for Fagin Van Rijn !!!!!

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Update !!

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The Dali was bought at the Tefaf Maastricht Art and Antiques fair and the De Lempicka was bought for $3 million including buyers premium in 2002, which was the first De Lempicka to be displayed in a Dutch Museum.

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Lot 31, "La Musicienne," is a major work by Tamara de Lempicka, a leading woman Art Deco artist. The 45 5/8-by-28 ¾-inch oil on canvas was painted in 1928 and had an estimate of $1,000,000 to $1,500,000. It sold for $2,649,500 considerably above the artist's previous auction record of $1,982,500 at the Impressionist & Modern Art Part One Sotheby's 7 PM, May 8, 2002.
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The Art Deco De Lempicka is a favourite with the Jet set, back in 1929 and also today.

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Barbara Streisand, Jack Nicholson or Madonna could be the likely punter''s as they seem to have a passion for De Lempicka.

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

Stolen Art Watch, Beware The Ides of March !!

Woman is tied up in £2m robbery
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/7962080.stm

Fifteen works of art were among property worth £2m that was stolen when three masked men forced their way into a house in Somerset.

A 47-year-old woman was tied up by the gang in the raid and was not found until 1600 GMT the following day.

The robbery happened at a home close to Redlynch, near Bruton, on Friday, a police spokesman said.

He added that the woman suffered bruising and was left "extremely shaken and distressed".

The robbers took 15 paintings, which included Endymion by George Frederic Watts and Apple Blossom by George Clausen.

They also stole some antiques, a safe containing jewellery and a green Mercedes 220.

Det Insp Jim Bigger said: "The size of the some of the items, and amount of property, stolen would suggest that a van or some other fairly sizeable vehicle would have been used."

£90,000 seized from jailed Bushey crook

Police officers seized more than £90,000 yesterday from a jailed crook and drug dealer.

Leslie Churchill, 58, of Cooks Mead, was jailed for six-and-a-half years in January for handling stolen artworks and dealing Class A drugs.

When officers raided his home they discovered not only three historic paintings but nearly £36,000 and 65,000 Euros in cash Officers appealing to St Albans Crown Court convinced a judge to order the seizure of the loot under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Two of the paintings, identified as works John Thomas Serres (1821) and Frances Cotes' (1764) have been returned the national art collection and Somerset House.

Stolen Art Watch, Lowry Lord Maurice Taylor, Jailed for a Carpet, (Three years) !!

A LORD convicted of knowingly selling a fake LS Lowry-style painting has been jailed for three years.
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Lord Maurice Taylor, aged 61, of Kermincham, near Congleton, was found guilty of six charges of fraud at Chester Crown Court earlier this month.
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The charges related to a Lowry-style mill street scene painting. He was cleared of one charge of forging an invoice relating to the painting.
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The lord, who bought his title of Lord Windsor Taylor for £1,000 off the internet, made several hundred thousand pounds and tricked Bonham's auctioneers into believing the painting was genuine.
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He was sentenced today at Chester Crown Court.

Stolen Art Watch, Versace, Dr No, We Will Never Dr No !!

Painting in Versace sale was 'stolen'

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/painting-in-versace-sale-was-stolen-1647359.html

When the list of items offered in the sale catalogue for tonight's auction of the late designer Gianni Versace's possessions was announced, Lot 72 was billed as the star item.

A "newly-discovered" 18th century masterpiece by the German neoclassical artist Johann Zoffany, it was described by Sotheby's experts as "rare", "important" and "exciting".

But, last night, embarrassed organisers withdrew the item from the auction, amid fears it was stolen. The portrait of Major George Maule was one of 550 pieces of furniture and works of art from Versace's Lake Como Villa up for sale.

However, following the publicity, it is understood that descendants of Major Maule contacted the authorities claiming that the painting had been stolen 30 years ago – 15 years before Versace, who it is said did not realise the work was by a celebrated artist, bought it. The relatives telephoned the Art Loss Register, which identifies stolen works, which in turn alerted Sotheby's and itagreed to withdraw it.

A spokeswoman for the Art Loss Register confirmed it was investigating the suggestion that the painting was stolen. A spokesman for Sotheby's simply said: "Lot 72 has been withdrawn with the full agreement of Sotheby's consignor."

The total worth of the items on sale was expected to exceed £2m and the Zoffany painting was considered the centrepiece of the sale.

Zoffany, a favourite of George III, completed the portrait in 1783. The painting had a guide price of £40,000-60,000 but organisers hoped it would fetch more.

Art Hostage comments:

Strange, how every so often stolen art comes to light when a celebrity or public figure dies and their estate is auctioned.

Of course they never knew the art was stolen and they are just mere victims of a dishonest art trade. Enough firewalls to protect integrity.

Or could, the buying of stolen art be something "Deliciously Dishonest" for mega wealthy people to get their rocks off ??

Stolen Art Watch, Lowry Robber, Minimum Five Years Jail !!

Thug jailed for Lowry raid
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1102883_thug_jailed_for_lowry_raid
March 17, 2009

A RUTHLESS thug who did not have "the wit" to carry out a £1.7 million raid on an LS Lowry art dealer was jailed indefinitely.

Violent Casey Miller, a career criminal was simply a 'useful piece of muscle' hired by the gang to terrify Ivan Aird, 43, and his family during the raid, Manchester Crown Court was told.

An iron pumping body builder who took steroids to add to his bulk, Miller, 23, pretended to be a postman so Mr Aird's wife, Louise, 42, opened the door carrying their two-year-old daughter Sabrina, at the family home in Cheadle, Cheshire.

Miller, who has a 'shocking record for violence' burst in holding a 10in knife to her face. The family were threatened they would be killed by Miller while three gang members scoured the property taking the 'cream' of Mr Aird's collection of LS Lowry treasures.

These included Tanker Entering The Tyne, and The Viaduct, worth £700,000 alone.

Today Miller, who is already serving a four-year sentence for grievous bodily harm, was given an indeterminate prison sentence for public protection.

It means he will stay in jail until the parole board thinks he is no longer a risk to the public and must serve a minimum of five years and one month before he can be considered for release.

Ruthless

Jailing Miller, Judge Andrew Gilbart QC, Recorder of Manchester, described the defendant as a 'ruthless' criminal - but did not have 'the wit' to plan the job alone.

"This was a well planned, brutally executed robbery," he said.

"I do not think you planned the raid, you had a keen interest in body building and were using illegally obtained steroids.

"You have been hired as a useful piece of muscle terrify the householders.

"It was a ruthlessly planned, professional crime in which property valued at £1.7 million was taken.

"They will never be available for anyone else to enjoy, apart form your gang's criminal customers.

"That is a loss to the wider public and especially a loss to this region."

Miller, who has 28 previous convictions for violence and robbery, told police he, 'didn't know Lowry from Adam' and denied involvement, but was convicted by a jury following a trial at Manchester Crown Court last month.

Despite his conviction he has still not told police who hired the gang - or where the paintings are now.

The three other robbers and the mastermind behind the raid are still at large - as are £1.7 million of Lowry's artworks.

Detectives believe the buyer of the stolen paintings, possibly an unscrupulous art dealer, paid the gang to carry out the robbery - then backed out because of the publicity surrounding the raid.

Miller was only arrested because Mrs Aird caught sight of his face during the robbery.

Hours after the raid on May 3, 2007, she provided an e-fit to police with an "exceptionally good likeness".

The case was featured on BBC TV's Crimewatch - and police got a tip-off the man they wanted was Miller.

He was arrested and Mrs Aird picked him out at an identity parade.

Ordeal

Mr's Aird told the court the raid was a 'horrifying and degrading ordeal' in which she feared for the life of her family.

Mr Aird had known LS Lowry as a boy and the artist was a friend of the family.

He became a leading specialist in Lowry's work's and ran a business, Grove Fine Art, from the house.

Although he advertised on the internet, he did not publicise his home address as his home was effectively a gallery.

Detectives suspect whoever put the robbery gang together may have posed as a buyer and decided the Aird's were a soft target.

Mr and Mrs Aird sat in the public gallery today as Miller was jailed.

Outside court, Mr Aird said: "God knows where the paintings are now. It is impossible to say. I just think it has been done to order."

DC Chris Barnes, of Greater Manchester Police, said a £70,000 reward was still on offer for information on the raid.

He added: "It is an ongoing investigation. There are three other dangerous criminals out there and these paintings are national art treasures.

"It was a line of inquiry they were stolen to order and because of the publicity the buyer backed out.

"I personally think they are still in existence. I don't think they have been destroyed. Somebody knows where they are. "Everybody in the art world knows these paintings have been stolen... unless there is an unscrupulous art dealer out there who wants them on his walls."

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Art Hostage comments:

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Ivan Aird sails very close to the wind and seems to have gotten away with it up until now.

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After this terrible robbery Ivan Aird claimed over £800,000 from the insurance company for his lost Lowry paintings.

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However, those Lowry paintings are alleged to be fraudulent copies and Ivan Aird turned a nightmare for his family into a profitable enterprise.

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To see Ivan Aird interviewed leaves one with the opinion Ivan Aird is a limp-wristed, effeminate, weakling, or is that just an act ??

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Stolen Art Watch, Scream just a Bad Memory as Norwegian Police "Quickly" Recover Stolen Cranach !!

Police recover painting by German 15th-century master

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/259570,police-recover-painting-by-german-15th-century-master.html

Oslo - Norwegian police Thursday continued investigations of a painting by German master Lucas Cranach The Elder, that was recovered on Wednesday after its theft over the weekend. The painting, worth at least 15 million kroner (2.1 million dollars), was stolen over the weekend from Larvik Church, some 105 kilometres southwest of Oslo.

Investigators were trying to secure possible DNA traces from the painting.

Police on Wednesday evening announced the recovery of the painting, hours after they said they had arrested a 51-year-old man on suspicion of involvement in the theft.

Police believe several people were involved in the theft of the painting, titled Let The Children Come To Me.

A Norwegian insurance company Tuesday posted a reward worth 500,000 kroner for information securing the safe return of the over 400-year-old painting.

However, detective Jorn Lier Horst told Norwegian news agency NTB that no reward would be paid since the recovery was the result "of good police work."

Church council chairman Ludvig Levinsen told local media that the congregation was extremely relieved that the painting was recovered so quickly.

The theft has sparked a debate on the need to improve security of valuable art in churches and other public buildings.

Cranach (1472-1553) was a German Renaissance painter who made several portraits of German theologian and church reformer Martin Luther. He also illustrated the Bible that Luther translated into German.

Art Hostage comments:

The Norwegian police reacted quickly having the nasty experience of the Scream thefts as a historical backdrop.

This quick recovery shows by collating information and utilising all resources stolen art can be recovered quite quickly after the initial theft.

If the first month goes by without any firm leads then a cat and mouse game commences, because it is within the first month the stolen art gets passed around before going deep into the Underworld. Then normally within the first year enquires are made as what is on offer for the return of the stolen art.

Stolen Art Watch, FBI Bronco Busters !!

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2009/03/06/0306rbart.html -
Stolen Artwork Recovered With Help From FBI

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RIVIERA BEACH — Police say they found two stolen sculptures worth nearly $4 million Thursday.

The two statues - a $3 million piece called "The Bronco Buster" by Frederic Remington and a $675,000 sculpture called "The Falling Man" by Auguste Rodin - were stolen from a Singer Island condo in the Tiara condominium building in 2006, according to a Riviera Beach police report.

The owner tried to find the thief on his own and just reported the crime to police on Feb. 26 of this year, said city spokeswoman Rose Anne Brown.

Riviera Beach police and Federal Bureau on Investigations agents investigated the thefts until a tip led them to a home in Palm Beach Gardens, Brown said. There they found both statues. The statues have been taken into police custody.

The home where the statues were found and its occupants were not identified by police. Nobody has been arrested, but Brown said police are still investigating and charges are pending. She would not disclose what the owners of the home told police about how they obtained the multi-million-dollar artwork.

Rodin was a French sculptor who died in 1917 and is most widely known for his "Thinking Man" sculpture. Remington was an American painter and sculptor who died in 1909 and is best known for his artwork on the American West.

Police detain men suspected of Zrzavý, Spála art theft

http://praguemonitor.com/2009/03/10/police-detain-men-suspected-zrzav%C3%BD-sp%C3%A1la-art-theft

Hradec Kralove, East Bohemia, March 9 (CTK) - The police have arrested two men suspected of the theft of valuable works by Czech painters Jan Zrzavy and Vaclav Spala from the museum in Novy Bydzov, east Bohemia, last November, and secured the paintings, police told journalists Monday.

One of the men was stealing on the spot, the other one allegedly organised the theft.

The police have also found four out of six stolen books, 18 out of 23 historical coins and most of jewels stolen.

Zrzavy (1890-1977) and Spala (1885-1946) are among the most prominent Czech modern painters.

Detectives did not rule out the possibility that some objects have already ended up abroad.

The two men, both of them unemployed with a criminal record, face up to 12 years in prison, if found guilty. They have been taken into custody.

Pavel Hochman, deputy head of the regional state attorney's office in Hradec Kralove, said if the total value of the objects stolen exceeded five million crowns, the perpetrators may face up to 15 yeas in prison, if found guilty.

Theft of valuable works of art is relatively rare in east Bohemia.

In 2003 thieves stole six paintings by Josef Capek (1887-1945) from the museum in Male Svatonovice, causing a damage of 6.5 million crowns. The thieves were caught and sent to prison for 8.5 to nine years in 2005.

Stolen Art Watch, Lowry Fake, Lord Windsor Guilty, Ivan Aird next, Hopefully !!

Conman guilty of Lowry fraud

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1100664_conman_guilty_of_lowry_fraud

A CONMAN who duped an art dealer into buying a fake LS Lowry painting for £330,000 has been convicted of fraud.

Lord Maurice Taylor, who bought his title on the internet for £1,000, convinced four art experts that the 'Mill Street Scene' was an original oil painting by the Manchester artist.

He told Bonhams Auctioneers he had been given the painting by an industrialist in the late 1960s in payment for a debt.

After examining the painting they valued it at about £400,000.

Art dealer David Smith, managing director of Neptune Fine Arts, which specialises in Lowry, was also convinced of its authenticity and agreed to buy the painting for £330,000 at a meeting with Taylor in The Ritz hotel in London in 2007.

Fake

He later learned the 'Mill Street Scene' was a well known fake on the Manchester art scene and phoned the police.

Taylor, 60, had bought the painting, a depiction of a snowy northern industrial landscape with characteristic 'matchstick' figures, for £7,500 just three years before from another Manchester art dealer.

He then invented the story about its origin to fool the art world into believing it had provenance.

Taylor, who lives in a mansion near Congleton, Cheshire, was found guilty of six counts of fraud after a two-week trial at Chester Crown Court.

He was cleared of one count of doctoring a receipt.

Judge Roger Dutton said : "You have been revealed . . . as a fraud, a cheat and a thoroughly dishonest man.

"You will have to be dealt with for a whole series of very serious frauds from which you have benefited very substantially indeed.

"You have gained several hundreds of thousands of pounds out of your deception."

Prison

Judge Dutton said Taylor could expect to receive a 'substantial' prison sentence when he returned for sentencing on March 20, after pre-sentence reports had been compiled by the probation service.

He said: "There is a lot about your background I simply don't understand and I would like some help from the probation service because to my mind you are a bit of an enigma."

Taylor, who drives a Range Rover with the registration plate CLA55Y sometimes calls himself Lord Windsor. He bought his title on the internet, complete with an eight-square inch estate in Devon, in 2000 after making money through a cloth business.

The 'Mill Street Scene', complete with forged LS Lowry signature, was examined by two experts from Bonhams, the third largest auctioneers in the world, and two specialist art dealers.

They all believed it was genuine, and Bonhams gave Taylor a note allowing him to insure it for £600,000. That valuation, along with the painting and Taylor's story about being given the painting by Manchester industrialist Eddie Rossenfeld, convinced Mr Smith it was real, the court was told.

But, crucially, meetings to allow experts from The Lowry Centre at Salford Quays to examine the work were cancelled on three occasions.

Evolved

Former head of galleries at The Lowry, Lindsay Brooks, told the court the painting was not a Lowry. She said by 1964, the date on the canvas, Lowry's style had evolved and questioned the red lampposts, the lack of fluidity in the middle distance and muddy skies.

Taylor had bought the painting from dealer Martin Heaps, through another dealer and friend Ivan Aird, whose father framed Lowry paintings.

Mr Heaps confirmed to the court he sold the work as an 'After Lowry'.

Taylor, who has an art collection at his home, maintained he believed the painting was genuine but admitted telling 'little white lies' about its history.

It was possibly painted in the 1960s by another Manchester artist, Arthur Delany, who was influenced by Lowry and was known to produce paintings in his style and sign them LS Lowry.

Art Hostage comments:

Comments to follow...................

Stolen Art Watch, Lowry Terror Raid, Miller Guilty !!

Guilty: £1.7m Lowry robber

A MAN has been found guilty of leading a vicious robbery at the home of an art dealer in which Lowry masterpieces worth up to £1.7million were taken.

A jury found Casey Miller guilty after two hours of deliberations at Manchester Crown Court. Miller, 23, of Constable Walk, Denton, had denied robbery.

The Lowry artworks - which included £700,000-valued The Viaduct and Tanker Entering The Tyne, valued at £600,000 - have never been recovered.

Adjourning the case for sentence on March 17, Judge Andrew Gilbart, the Recorder of Manchester, told the defendant: "A substantial prison sentence is inevitable for such a serious offence."

The judge thanked the jury and told them: "I only hope that those wonderful paintings are rediscovered for the benefit of everyone."

Some 14 works of art were stolen from a house in Cheadle by a gang of four robbers armed with a chef's knife.

Miller, posing as a postman, bundled Louise Aird, who was holding her two-year-old daughter Sabrina, to the ground.

Louise's husband, art dealer Ivan Aird, came downstairs, had his hands tied behind his back and was also threatened with the knife before the walls were stripped and paintings and drawings, many of them originals by L S Lowry, were taken away.

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Art Hostage comments:

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Police have until , March 17th to convince Casey Miller to hand back the stolen art for a lesser sentence.
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What can Police offer ?

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Does Casey Miller still have control of the stolen paintings ???

Stolen Art Watch, Lowry Terror Trial, Most Wanted Arrested !!

Couple's £1.7m art raid terror
John Scheerhout
February 17, 2009

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1097216_couples_17m_art_raid_terror

KNIFE-wielding robbers threatened to kill an art dealer and his wife during an audacious raid for paintings by LS Lowry worth up to £1.7m, a court heard.

Louise Aird thought it was the postman when she answered the door at her Cheadle home. But she was bundled to the ground as she was holding her baby and was threatened by a man with a knife, a jury at Manchester Crown Court was told on Tuesday.

Her husband, art dealer Ivan Aird, was tied up while a gang of robbers stripped art works from the walls and fled, the court heard.

Michael Leeming, prosecuting, said: "The evidence in this case suggests that this was not a spur of the moment, random offence but an audacious and carefully thought out pre-planned robbery."

Casey Miller, 23, of Constable Walk, Denton, denies robbery.

Mr Leeming, opening the case for the Crown, said: "On the morning of Thursday, May 3, 2007, a carefully planned and executed robbery took place at the home of Mr and Mrs Ivan Aird, near Cheadle.

"Original works of art by the artist LS Lowry, art memorabilia and other art works by other artists, valued at between £1.3m and £1.7m were stolen."

Louise Aird was feeding her daughter when the door bell rang. Mrs Aird could see a man standing at the front door wearing a long sleeved fluorescent orange jacket and black woolly hat and she assumed it was the postman.

But he bundled her into the hallway, pointing a large-bladed kitchen knife towards her face.

The Crown says the postman was this defendant, Casey Miller, said Mr Leeming.

He was shouting at Mrs Aird `get down or I will kill you. Who else is here? Don't look at me.'

Her screaming awoke her husband who came downstairs to be confronted by three or four other men who tied him up, and put him on the floor with a knife pointing at his face.

'Most wanted burglar' Peter Sonny Martin O’Halloran arrested

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http://www.wandsworthguardian.co.uk/news/4118576._Most_wanted_burglar__arrested/

Police arrested one of the country’s most wanted suspected burglars, who is now being grilled about a series of break-ins across Surrey.

Peter Sonny Martin O’Halloran, 34, was arrested by Surrey Police Cross-Border Investigation Team officers at a hotel in Wandsworth on Monday, and subsequently charged with seven offences, including an attempted burglary in Princes Drive, Leatherhead, in 2007 and a burglary in Sandown Avenue, Esher on 30 December 2007.

For nearly two years, O’Halloran had been wanted on recall to prison for breaching release conditions, and also to be questioned about residential burglaries across southern and central England.

He appeared on Crimestoppers’ Most Wanted website and also featured on the BBC’s Crimewatch programme.

In December 2008, Surrey Police’s Cross-Border Investigation Team joined the hunt for O’Halloran, working with Gloucestershire Constabulary, which led the investigation to track him down.

Acting Detective Inspector Dan Volle said: “Criminals pay no regard to county boundaries, so we’re equally ready to step outside our borders and target them.

“To this end, we’ve embedded five intelligence officers in neighbouring forces and, as we’ve shown this week, we’re willing and able to work with forces that are even further afield.

“The arrest and charging of Peter O’Halloran should send a clear message to criminals that they cannot evade the police by moving around the country.

“Through Operation Shield, we will continue to target travelling offenders who blight our local communities in Surrey and those elsewhere.”

Detective Sergeant Dave Doherty, of Gloucestershire Constabulary, added: “This arrest was an example of the excellent cooperation which exists between police forces, and should serve as further evidence of our ability to work together to investigate cross-border offences, as well as our determination to bring suspects to justice.”

O’Halloran appeared at Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, charged with burglaries in Gloucestershire, Surrey, Suffolk, Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire, the attempted burglary in Leatherhead and a Proceeds of Crime Act offence in Suffolk.

He was remanded in custody, where he will be questioned further in relation to other suspected offences and is scheduled to appear at Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court on Friday, February 13.

Art Hostage comments:

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Interesting way Police discovered Mr O'Halloran at this hotel.

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The raising of the reward from £1,000 to £10,000 tempted someone, details to follow, who said what and have they collected the £10,000 reward !!!

Stolen Art Watch, Blanchard/Syberg Gang Hits Cash Jackpot !!

$100K reward offered in armoured car theft

A security company has offered up to $100,000 in reward money for those who can help determine what happened to the "significant amount of money" quietly stolen from an armoured truck parked outside a Richmond Hill, Ont. bank earlier this week.

Two armed guards, working for Garda Armoured Car Services, stopped outside an RBC Royal Bank on Yonge Street, just south of King Road, at about 10:30 p.m. Thursday.

That's when they went inside to make a deposit to the automated teller machines.

When the guards came back out, the back door of the armoured truck was open and police say they then discovered that "a significant amount of money" was missing.

While no one will confirm the exact amount of missing money, some unconfirmed reports have suggested several million dollars could be involved.

York Regional Police say they are not sure how many suspects were involved in the heist, nor have they found any witnesses to the crime.

"We feel that (the vehicle) was electronically opened while the guards were inside the bank," Det. Sgt. John Sheldon told reporters on Friday.

The device could have been a sophisticated version of the same technology that drivers use to open their own cars, he said.

"A lot of expertise was used and put into this well-orchestrated crime."

Garda has said it is co-operating with police and has announced the reward "for information leading to the recovery of the stolen funds and conviction of those responsible."

If more than one person provides relevant information, the reward money will be split among the contributing parties, Garda spokesperson Joe Gavaghan told ctvtoronto.ca in an e-mail.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call York Regional Police at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7241, or to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Art Hostage comments:

Interesting case.

First of all members of the Blanchard/Syberg gang used an electronic device to open the armoured trucks back door. Reports the guards left it open are false.

Second, information about the Garda trucks was provided by an inside source, who's relation is connected to the Blanchard/Syberg gang.

So, look no further than Danny Blanchard, Aaron Syberg, Dale Fedoruk, old Carl Bales and don't forget Lynette Tien.

Case solved, next please !!!

Stolen Art Watch, Aldsworth House Robbery Pair Guilty !!

Burglars threaten to pull out fingernails of retired Army major aged 75

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/4538324/Burglars-threaten-to-pull-out-fingernails-of-retired-Army-major-aged-75.html

A retired Army major aged 75 was threatened with having his fingernails pulled with pliers by burglars until he gave the keys to a safe at his country home


Tom Williams fought the masked raiders until eventually being overpowered at his estate near Chichester, West Sussex, which he shares with his wife, Sarah.

The gang, who were jailed yesterday having targeted up to ten other country house burglaries across Sussex and the south of England, stole £400,000 worth of antiques and heirlooms, including medals, swords and firearms.

Speaking after the court case, Mr Williams, whose ancestors include an admiral, a general, and a great, great grandfather who served in Nelson's Navy, said: "Once I had been tied up I was very keen on not giving them the information they wanted.

"However, when they said they would do my fingernails with pliers I started to revise my opinion."

The raiders were captured by police as they dropped off the haul with a crooked antiques dealer.

Two of them, Wolfgang Schmelz, 58, and Christopher Doughty, 48, were jailed yesterday for 17 years at Hove Crown Court.

The dealer, Phillip Capewell, received a five year sentence at an earlier trial for handling stolen goods.

It can also be revealed that a deliberate attempt to "nobble" jurors was made during an original trial, in 2007, in which the jury failed to reach a verdict. A man wearing a balaclava and ski goggles approached two jurors as they queued outside a sandwich bar in Hove during a lunch break and handed them a flyer telling them to find the robbers not guilty.

The court heard how the burglars broke into Aldsworth House late at night in June 2006 and attacked Mr Williams with a cosh.

The couple were then tied up with gaffer tape and a bag and a fleece were pulled over the couple's heads. The trio spent the next six hours looting the couple's home.

They took family heirlooms from five generations of military service going back to 1790 in Mr Williams' - including General Charles Williams and Admiral Hugh Williams.

Speaking outside court yesterday, Mr Williams said: "I really did not want to give in but I did not really have much option. I was fairly heavily overpowered.

"I had been hit a couple of times and knocked down on to the floor and kicked a couple of times.

"They were fairly criminally efficient and had got my watch off and slipped my wife's engagement ring off her finger without us realising it."

Mrs Williams said that she feared for her husband's life as he fought the burglars.

He added: "We are determined not to be broken by what happened and want to get on with our lives."

-

Video interview with the victims here, scroll down: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/7873023.stm

Stolen Art Watch, Bill Reid Theft Leaves more Questions Than Answers !!!

Career criminal paid $20,000 for helping recover stolen artwork

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/01/30/bc-reid-heist-reward.html

The RCMP paid $20,000 to a career criminal for key information that led to the safe recovery of art treasures stolen from a B.C. museum last year, CBC News has learned.

Martin Weigelt was given the reward because the information he provided helped police recover all 12 pieces of the Haida artist Bill Reid's work, police sources told CBC News Friday.

The pieces, including bracelets, brooches and cuff links, were stolen in May from glass-enclosed, stone showcases from the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Three golden-coloured Mexican art objects also vanished.

RCMP spokeswoman Const. Annie Linteau confirmed Friday that an unspecified amount of cash was paid to an individual.

"I cannot go into more details," she said.

But Linteau said the person rewarded was not a suspect in the heist, meaning the money was not an incentive to the perpetrator or perpetrators of the crime to ensure the safe return of the Haida artist's works.

Weigelt, 42, has a long criminal history dating back to 1988, according to court documents. He has at least 55 convictions, which include breaking and entering, theft, weapons possession and drug trafficking.

He made news headlines in November 2006 when some Vancouver police officers snapped a trophy photo of him in the police department's lockup after his arrest. The photograph showed four officers posed smiling with Weigelt, who was wearing a white prison jumpsuit and looked distressed and had an injury to his face.

No charges laid
No one was ever charged in the art heist, and Linteau said Friday that police are still investigating the case.

In June, police searched two residences in Burnaby and New Westminster and recovered 10 of the 12 Reid pieces, as well as the three Mexican items. Investigators arrested three people, questioned them and released them without disclosing their identities.

Police conducted two more searches in July and August and found the last two pieces. The RCMP never said how they made the finds, except that all manner of techniques were used, including round-the-clock surveillance.

Art Hostage comments:

Interesting, what happened to the rest of the advertised $50,000 reward if Martin Weigelt only got paid $20,000 ?

How did this low level career criminal get the inside information ?

Who is in the shadows behind Martin Weigelt ?

What other concessions have been made by authorities ?

Just out of curiosity, what is Aaron Syberg up to these days ??????

Stolen Art Watch, Shakeapeare First Folio Theft, Courtroom Scene Next !!

Suspect charged in Shakespeare First Folio Theft

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iybh3XBGozJtVAUTu0PVZKsq58iQD9608GT80

LONDON (AP) — British police charged a book dealer Wednesday with stealing a rare First Folio of Shakespeare's plays from a university library a decade ago.

Police in Durham in northeast England say the 1623 volume is worth about 3 million pounds ($4.2 million). It was among seven centuries-old books and manuscripts stolen from a display case at Durham University library in 1998.

The book was recovered after a man walked into the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C. last June and asked for its authenticity to be checked. Library staff contacted police, who traced the man who had brought in the book and arrested Raymond Scott, 51, a book and antiques dealer from the Durham area.

Scott has denied theft and told reporters that he bought the volume in Cuba.

He was charged with theft of the folio and with four other counts of theft and handling stolen goods.

Scott was released on bail and ordered to appear in a Durham court on Feb. 10.

The folio, which scholars consider one of the most important printed books in the English language, returned in October to Durham University, where police say it is being kept "under lock and key."

Stolen Art Watch, Art Stolen, So What, Who Cares, Keep Watching Pop Idol !!

Howson artwork stolen from house

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/7851219.stm

Four paintings by renowned Scottish artist Peter Howson have been stolen from a house in rural Stirling.

Central Scotland Police said the paintings, each measuring 12in by 10in and featuring the Hardman's Face, were taken from a house at Croftamie.

The force said the pictures were each worth a four-figure sum and has urged anyone with information about their whereabouts to contact them.

Howson is best known for paintings of the Bosnian war and the singer Madonna.

The theft occurred between 1100 GMT and 1600 GMT on Monday 19 January.

Jewellery was also stolen.

Police said the paintings were not in frames and have asked anyone who may have "innocently" bought them or been asked to frame them to get in touch.

They could not say whether or not they may have been stolen to order.

Howson, 50, who studied at Glasgow School of Art, is renowned for his powerful figurative work which has been collected by celebrities such as Madonna, David Bowie and Bob Geldof.

He also produced nude portraits of Madonna 2002.

He became established in the 1980s as one of the New Glasgow Boys, a group of painters concerned with portraying social issues.

During the Balkans conflict, Howson became the official British war artist.

Art Hostage comments:

Another day, another art theft, move along, nothing more to see here !!

Stolen Art Watch, Whilst The Cats Away !!

Ram raiders smash through Moreton antique shop
http://www.wiltsglosstandard.co.uk/news/4066932.Ram_raiders_stole___30_000_from_Cotswolds_antique_shop/

RAM raiders smashed through the front of a Moreton antiques shop and stole around £30,000 worth of stock in the early hours of this morning.

Windsor House Antiques Centre in High Street was raided shortly after midnight when two offenders wearing dark clothing broke through the shop in an olive/green jeep or 4x4 and reversed towards the door.

They spent a few minutes in the shop before being driven off with the stolen goods by a third offender.

Manager Jane Finegan was woken by a call from security at 12.15am to hear the news. "They came through the door and smashed five rented cabinets which contained clocks, silver and jewellery," she said.

"The goods stolen are estimated to be worth around £30,000 but I am waiting for the dealers to get back to me to find out the final amount."

As well as the valuables stolen, the thieves caused thousands of pounds of damage to the door, windows and cabinets.

PC Duncan Cusack, of North Cotswolds Police, said: "The owners will be counting the cost of the items that were taken this morning but they are expecting it to run into thousands of pounds.

"It is obviously causing a considerable amount of distress to them at the moment so we are hoping that anyone who may have information or saw suspicious activity in the area recently will come forward and help forward our enquiry."

Anyone with information can call 0845 090 1234, or alternatively Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, quoting incident 2 of January 22.

Stolen Art Watch, Recovering Stolen Art is One Thing, Tracing it is Another !!

Renewed search for owner of mystery painting found in Bushey

http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/4048729.Renewed_search_for_owner_of_mystery_painting_found_in_Bushey/

A mysterious portrait found in Bushey with two famous stolen paintings worth £82,000 continues to baffle police “desperate” to find its owner.

The painting of an unidentified bearded man was found in a bin liner dumped in a loft in Cooks Mead.

Surprised police stumbled across it while on a drugs raid.

Two other paintings found in the property were instantly recognised by the National Art Collection as those stolen from Somerset House in London, a theft which sparked an international high-profile search.

Despite almost unanimous suggestions that the historic painting must be worth a lot of money, art experts including Scotland Yard's Antiques Unit have failed to trace the owner or identify the artwork.

Detective Sergeant Duncan Woodhams, leading the investigation, said all nationally-reported cases of art thefts had been looked at and there were now indications that it could have been taken from another country.

Despite the way it was stored, he said there was no evident damage to the painting and that research had revealed it was not found in its original frame.

Police are currently in talks to feature the artwork on the Antiques Roadshow and Crimewatch to help with the identification.

On Tuesday, 58-year-old Leslie Churchill from Cooks Mead, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for handling the two stolen paintings that were taken from Somerset House, possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply and money laundering.

He had pleaded guilty to the charges in October.

Detective Sergeant Woodhams said the paintings were found with around 1kg of cocaine, having a street value of around £90,000, and £100,000 in cash.

He said: “We couldn't believe our eyes when we saw them. We thought the quantity of drugs was something special.”

After the sentencing, he said: “Leslie Churchill was a man who made money and gained from other people’s misery. This sentence sends out a strong message to would be criminals in Hertfordshire – we will find you and you will be brought to justice.”

The two identified paintings were Shipping by John Thomas Serres from 1821 and Frances Cotes' 1764 portrait of the Scottish architect Sir William Chambers. They have both been returned to Somerset House.

Anyone with any information about the mystery painting is asked to telephone 0845 33 00 222.

Art Hostage comments:

Yet again the link between drugs and stolen art is confirmed. It is not just the very high profile stolen artworks that are traded for drugs but the thousands of stolen artworks taken each week.

It is likely this painting is stolen but was only reported as a portrait and because there is no national stolen art and antiques database it has proven difficult to trace.

It does remind me of the occasion when Police recovered a pair of valuable Royal Doulton vases by Hanna Barlow and finally traced them to a theft whereby they were described as a pair of Dalton vases by the investigating Police Officer who knew nothing about art and antiques.

These type of genuine mistakes makes it difficult to trace stolen art when it is recovered, especially if the artworks are not paintings, which do have a uniqueness that makes tracing them slightly easier.

I bet there is a crime report somewhere listing this painting but the brief description means it is trying to find a needle in a haystack.

If there was a national stolen art and antiques database then the search would zoom in on all stolen portraits of men, then the photo could be distributed to the relevant Police force, who in turn could show the photo to the victim.

Until then everyday stolen art and antiques will be hard to trace.

Upon another note, normally if Police cannot trace this painting as stolen it would be returned to the person who was in possession of it.

However, as this Leslie Churchill person has been convicted I wonder if this painting will be the subject of the Proceeds of crime act 2002 and be confiscated ??

Stolen Art Watch, Italy Leads by Example !!

Italy recovers religious masterpieces stolen in 2004

Italian police have recovered 10 masterpieces stolen in 2004, including depictions of the holy family and the whipping of Jesus.

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/artdesign/story/2009/01/13/art-italy.html

The paintings had been stolen from the halls of Santo Spirito in Sassia, a religious complex near the Vatican.

They were discovered in good condition, wrapped in newspaper in the trailer of a suspected art smuggler, Italan police said Tuesday.

Police art squad chief Gen. Giovanni Nistri said the paintings had a value of about $5.3 million US.

Among the works are the painting Holy Family, showing Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.

The painting is the work of Flemish master Hendrick van den Broeck, who also decorated the entrance of the Sistine Chapel, according to an expert in 16th-century art, Claudio Strinati.

The work had previously been attributed to Parmigianino, a contemporary of Michelangelo.

Also discovered was The Flagellation of Christ, a 17th-century painting by Giuseppe Cesari, a painter also known as the Knight of Arpino.

Police said they discovered the works in December during an investigation of art smuggling.

Gen. Nistri said there was evidence the smuggler intended to try to sell the works outside Italy.

The man is not believed to be behind the theft, which is still under investigation, he said.

Italy Cracks Down on Stolen Art, Doubling Recoveries

By Steve Scherer and Adam L. Freeman
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=atqxYAbRWf58&refer=muse

Jan. 13 (Bloomberg) -- The value of stolen art works recovered by Italian police more than doubled last year as authorities cracked down on unauthorized archeological digs.

Works valued at 183 million euros ($243 million) were reclaimed in 2008, compared with 82 million euros the year before, General B. Giovanni Nistri of the Italian military police said at a news conference today in Rome.

The art doesn’t include pieces voluntarily sent back to the country by foreign museums and collectors.

Italy’s rich archeological heritage spans the entire peninsula, including Etruscan tombs and Roman villas. Italy in recent years has pushed for the repatriation of pieces allegedly smuggled out of the country from clandestine excavations. Some of those works have landed in collections at the world’s most famous museums.

The number of known illegal digs in Italy last year increased by 15 percent to 238, mostly in the area around Rome, the Carabinieri police said. Ten paintings were recovered on Dec. 19 following a raid on a camper van parked in the city. The paintings were taken from the 12th century Santo Spirito in Sassia basilica in Rome in 2004.

The most valuable piece recovered was a damaged oil-on-wood painting of a Madonna with Baby Jesus attributed to the 16th century artist Francesco Mazzola, more commonly known as Parmigianino. All the recovered paintings were “well packaged and ready to be exported from Italy,” Nistri said.

The Culture Ministry, along with the Carabinieri police, announced separately that it had returned 2,200 archeological objects, mostly antique coins, to Bulgaria today. The objects had been seized in Italy in 2005 and were found to have been stolen and then exported from Bulgaria, according to an e-mailed statement.

Stolen Art Watch, Shakespeare Folio Accused, The Mental Illness Defence !!

Eccentric shoplifter compares himself to Gandhi

An eccentric antiques dealer caught stealing a cannabis book from a high street book store compared his plight to that of Gandhi today.
Raymond Scott, 51, was caught by plainclothes security staff stealing a copy of The Cannabible Collection worth £18.99 and a £32 book on stone sheepfold artworks from a branch of Waterstone's in the MetroCentre in Gateshead.

Bearded Scott appeared before Gateshead Magistrates' Court wearing his trademark Cuban holiday outfit - blue jeans, brown T-shirt, brown leather jacket, dark Tiffany & Co New York sunglasses and a Felipe Massa F1 baseball cap.

Scott was allowed to keep his sunglasses on throughout the proceedings because he said he had a problem with his eyes.

The court heard MetroCentre security staff spotted Scott acting suspiciously in the shopping centre on September 21 last year and followed him into Waterstone's.

They then watched him pick up one of the two books off a shelf and carry it to another part of the store and placing it on the shelf next to the other book.

Scott was then seen crouching out of view before the security guards heard Scott place both books in a plastic bag and walk out of the shop.

He was then challenged by the guards and subsequently arrested by the police.

"The defendant admitted he left the store without making payment for either of the books," said prosecutor David Mayhew.

Scott, of Sandford Close, Wingate, County Durham admitted a single charge of theft totalling £50.99 after changing his plea on the morning of his trial.

According to the book's summary, The Cannabible Collection, written by photographer and "renowned pot connoisseur" Jason King, is an encyclopaedia of his favourite types of marijuana - from the "coffee shops of Amsterdam to the mountains of Afghanistan to the volcanoes of Hawaii".

It is "the most indulgent gift you can give the pot lover in your life - except for the herb itself".

Enclosures, by Andy Goldsworthy, records his series of artworks created from the stone sheepfolds of Cumbria.

Judith Curry, defending, said Scott was due to see a psychiatrist to discuss on-going mental health problems.

"He is under a great deal of stress and there has been some concerns to his psychiatric health at the time of this offence," she told the court.

Magistrates fined Scott a total of £105 and also ordered him to pay £150 prosecution costs.

Scott, who does not have a job, offered to pay £1 a week from his benefits but chair of the bench Gail Askew told him the minimum payment was £5 a week.

Speaking outside court, Scott compared his present position to that of Gandhi.

"I am not going to pay the fine because the amount was totally inappropriate and if they want to send me to prison for non-payment then so be it," he told reporters.

"Was not Gandhi imprisoned by the British? "I feel the fine was excessive and I find it morally repugnant that Waterstone's should make a profit from selling the bible."