We don’t often hear about
grand art robberies these days, probably because of the extravagant security systems that
have been created in order to protect multi-million dollar pieces. That
however, didn’t stop a group of thieves from breaking into Rotterdam
Kunsthal museum in the Netherlands on Tuesday at 3 a.m. ABC News reports
that the public is calling this grand heist, “one of the most dramatic
daring in recent years” because this team of thieves was able to
make away with over $100 million worth of paintings. Reports share that
there were 7 paintings that were taken including Picasso, Matisse, and Monet.
What is interesting about a heist like this, according to Christopher Marinello
of The Art Loss Register, is that once stolen the artwork becomes literally
priceless. Due to the popularity of the paintings taken, thieves will
not be able to actually sell them for money because there will be no price
available. What a heist like this can do is create an excellent trading
good, though the thieves cant receive money for the works, often times
expensive pieces will be used for trading weapons, guns and the like.
With cases like this, the insurance companies get involved with the investigations,
and it is very likely that the thieves will seek to place a ransom value
on the art in order for the museums to get them back. The museum shared
in a press conference that this heist is a “nightmare” and
that the thieves walked away with some of their most important pieces
of art. It is said that the Art Loss Register, located in England, keeps
a close eye on stolen artwork all over the world, and is said to have
the largest database of information on these goods. Marinello claims that
these thieves knew what they were after, and made it out with “one
hell of a haul” because of the importance of each of the paintings.
This case is throwing everyone for a loop, and the head of security with
the museum believes that the pieces will float around the criminal world
for a while before they show up. It is also not unlikely that they will
be destroyed because of the impossibility of actually selling the stolen
works. There is an even greater likelihood that the art was stolen for
the purpose of receiving ransom money, kidnapping artwork is not uncommon,
because the thieves will seek to earn even more money for the paintings
in return for the stolen goods.
The Rotterdam Kunsthal museum claims that their security system is extremely
fast responding, so even though they likely had more to steal, they were
still able to make it out with 7 highly important and valuable paintings.
They are currently reviewing all of the possible security footage, and
believe that they are able to distinguish the make of the car that was
used to get away believing that the made their entrance and exit from
the rear end of the museum.
Charles Hill, a retired Scotland Yard art detective is now a private investigator,
but shares that from what he can tell this crime was conducted by professionals
due to their precision and speed in the heist. Hill is known for his help
in the retrieval of stolen piece by Edvard Munch, “The Scream”
in 1994; a case for which he went undercover in order to save. He believes
the heist was stolen by a “major-league villain” who likely
has a large debt to someone.
The museum was in the middle of a new exhibition at the time of the heist,
celebrating their 20 years of being around. The theme of the exhibition
was to display a variety of different modern art genres such as impressionism
and expressionism and so on. The Triton Foundation collection was the
group that owned the 150 different pieces of art work shown at the Rotterdam
Kunsthal museum.
Grand theft is a huge crime, and if a person is accused and convicted there
can be serious consequences. Burglary in specific is considered to be
the act of breaking and entering a premises with intent to steal. Obviously,
this action is considered to be illegal because the entrance was done
without permission. While the art work from the museum was in another
country, there can still be cases of theft here in the U.S. while they
may not be as grand or dramatic as this, the punishment is still severe.
If you or someone you know has been accused of theft at any level, contact
Knowles Law Firm today to discuss your case with a criminal defense attorney who can help you!