Art Loss Register in the search for lost works of art Automatic translate

In the early morning of May 11, 1987, someone broke the glass doors of the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm, took a picture of Matisse from the wall and ran away. All that a robber needed to steal a world-class masterpiece was a sledgehammer and a little courage. The location of the painting "Garden", estimated at about $ 1 million, remained a mystery until it was found and solemnly returned to the museum last year.

True, law enforcement did not play any role in this triumph of justice. The return of the masterpiece was facilitated by the organization "Register of missing works of art" ) Art loss register ) based in London. The company, which over the past two decades has become an integral part of any major investigation related to the theft of art.

Julian Radcliffe at the National Library of Art at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Photo: Graham Trott, Courtesy of the Art Loss Register.

The brainchild of Julian Radcliffe (Julian Radcliffe), formed in Oxford by a former consultant to an insurance company who is said to be spying for British intelligence, Art Loss Register helps fill a gaping void. According to FBI estimates, billions of dollars in art are stolen from public and private collections every year, but official law enforcement has too few resources to make this niche a priority.

For Mr. Radcliffe, this state of affairs was an excellent opportunity. Since the foundation of the organization, 22 years ago, ALR has created the most extensive database of stolen works of art in the world, which allows it to track and find objects, receiving commissions from insurers and victims of theft.

At the moment, the company, despite its effectiveness, is criticized for tough strategies, sometimes violating ethical and legal standards. However, law enforcement agencies still use the help of the organization. “For me, they are very important as an effective tool,” said Mark Fishstein, who works in the New York Police Department, in the art tracing department.

Mr. Radcliffe’s company operates in the “dark” zone of the art world, where the prevalence of thefts, fakes and works of dark origin has spawned many businesses that promise to help customers navigate this profitable, but largely unregulated market.

Despite the importance and professionalism of the organization, it is by no means profitable. For the past six years, the company has suffered losses and kept afloat only thanks to the infusions of the founder himself. Because of this, the best shots go.

Among the incidents that cause criticism of the organization, one can note cases when Art Loss Register turned to private owners or museums whose art masterpieces were stolen, claiming to have information about their location, which the company agreed to provide only for a fairly substantial fee. Sometimes, the amount required by the organization reached 20% of the cost of a work of art.

Representatives of the company, in their defense say that all over the world even the police pay their informants and this is normal practice. Moreover, even the most severe critics of the company agree that without ALR resources, the situation in the field of stolen works of art will worsen significantly.

Radcliffe is not going to quit her job. “I’m very patient,” he says, “if I think it’s worth it, I won’t give it up and wait for it to work out.” True, some of his colleagues say that the founder of the company does not work for money, but for his own self-esteem, feeling like a sort of “James Bond” in the art world.

In some countries, such as Italy, theft of works of art is given great attention, but this is an exception. In New York and Los Angeles, world centers for the sale of works of art, there is only one detective story with this specialization. Throughout the FBI, there are only 14 agents with specialized training to investigate art-related crimes, most of which have other responsibilities. The Scotland Yard Art Detector consists of three officers.

This is due to the fact that there are usually no victims (violent) in such crimes, and most of the losses are covered by insurance.

The database of stolen works of art by Scotland Yard includes 57,500 items, Interpol - 40,000, and the FBI has a list of only 8,000 objects, however, this is due to the fact that the bureau relies on the local police.

For comparison, the ALR database contains information on more than 350,000 stolen, looted or missing items. In addition to 10 full-time employees, the organization collaborates with an Indian company sending out its employees to all auctions, art fairs and similar events in order to track the appearance of works from the list. Many police and FBI agents themselves recommend that victims register with ALR.

Be that as it may, with all its criticism, the Register provides invaluable assistance in locating world-class masterpieces, as former federal agent James McAndrew says: “If I went to ALR and asked: Do you have information about this picture?, they will give me 30 documents, while in the police or the FBI they won’t even know who to contact. ”

Anna Sidorova © Gallerix.ru