Crime As Russians ‘Pillage’ Ukraine’s Museums in Annexed Territories, Artifacts Are Turning Up in Moscow and on the Black Market The illegally annexed territories are home to many major museums. By Eileen Kinsella, Oct 3, 2022
Crime U.K. Dealer Rob Newland Has Pleaded Guilty to a Role in Inigo Philbrick’s $86 Million Art-Fraud Scheme Prosecutors say Newland helped construct the byzantine business deals that allowed the ruse to proceed. By Eileen Kinsella, Sep 26, 2022
Crime A Golden Baby Sculpture by Grayson Perry Was Stolen From a Bristol Gallery in Broad Daylight The limited-edition ceramic was made in honor of the nurses and families the artist met in a neonatal unit. By Dorian Batycka, Sep 7, 2022
Crime A Sculpture Residency in Upstate New York Was Ransacked. Police Charged the Culprits: Children as Young as 8 The group destroyed artworks, overturned furniture, shattered windows, and sprayed graffiti on the building’s walls. By Taylor Dafoe, Aug 31, 2022
Crime After an Artwork Critical of Xi Jinping Mysteriously Burned to the Ground in California, the U.S. Blames a Covert Chinese Operation China appears to have sent operatives to spy on artist Chen Weiming. By Taylor Dafoe, Aug 29, 2022
Crime The Orlando Museum of Art Has Created a ‘Task Force’ to Help Recover Trust After the FBI’s Raid of a Contested Basquiat Show The embattled museum is trying to recover and gain back the support of its patrons and public. By Vittoria Benzine, Aug 23, 2022
Crime Cambodian Officials Say the Met Owns at Least 33 Looted Artworks Linked to the Late, Disgraced Art Dealer Douglas Latchford A former criminal told Cambodian officials he was personally involved in taking the artworks that ended up at the museum. By Sarah Cascone, Aug 18, 2022
Crime A Woman Allegedly Paid a Psychic to Convince Her Mother Her Art Collection Was Cursed—and Then Stole Over $137 Million in Art Police recovered a $59 million Tarsila do Amaral canvas in a raid connected to the arrests. By Sarah Cascone, Aug 11, 2022
Crime Italian Tax Police Seized $144 Million in Art and Other Assets From the Architect Who Designed ‘Putin’s Palace’ Lanfranco Cirillo has faced multiple charges of financial malfeasance in the past. By Caroline Goldstein, Aug 4, 2022
Crime A Curator Has Been Charged With Giving False Provenance Information Amid a Major Probe Into Louvre Abu Dhabi Antiquities Trafficking The scandal is thought to concern hundreds of ancient pieces that were destined for the United Arab Emirates museum. By Anna Sansom, Aug 1, 2022
Crime A Dutch Court Upheld an Eight-Year Sentence for the Daring Serial Thief Who Stole Nearly $20 Million in Art From Museums The court wants to send a message about the serious nature of art theft. By Eileen Kinsella, Jul 25, 2022
Crime Italian Authorities Blocked the Sale of an Artemisia Gentileschi Painting in Austria, Saying Its Owners Lied to Export It A criminal investigation into the owners is underway now—and will likely determine the fate of the $2 million artwork. By Taylor Dafoe, Jul 20, 2022
Crime Officials in Ibiza Seized a $460,000 Picasso Sketch That a Passenger Tried to Pass Off as a Second-Rate Print The suspect had a fake receipt that stated the work was worth a little over $1,500. By Dorian Batycka, Jul 19, 2022
Crime Florida Man Faces 20 Years in Prison for Allegedly Selling Cheap Prints as Multimillion-Dollar Artworks by Basquiat and Other Stars Why is it always a Florida man? By Sarah Cascone, Jul 14, 2022
Crime Thieves Stole an Ancient Copper Relic Said to Contain the Blood of Jesus. Then It Turned Up on the Doorstep of a Dutch Art Detective The “Indiana Jones of the art world” has made headlines once again. By Vittoria Benzine, Jul 14, 2022