Law & Politics A London Court Fined an Art Dealer $142,700 for Losing a Bosco Sodi Work That a Judge Likened to a ‘Burnt Digestive Biscuit’ The dealer Esparanza Koren claims to not know the whereabouts of the abstract painting. By Adam Schrader, Jul 27, 2023
Crime Thieves Have Been Stealing the Weird Props From the Vermont Set of ‘Beetlejuice 2,’ Including a 150-Pound ‘Abstract Art Statue’ A lamppost with a pumpkin decoration has also gone missing from the set. By Adam Schrader, Jul 24, 2023
Crime German Police Have Arrested Four Men Suspected of Stealing 483 Ancient Celtic Coins in an Elaborate Museum Heist The men were found in possession of gold bars, likely made by melting down the stolen coins. By Adam Schrader, Jul 21, 2023
Books Looking for a Smart Beach Read? Here Are 15 of the Most Gripping New Art-World Books to Crack Open This Summer From the stranger-than-fiction tale of the world's biggest art theft to an ambitious meta-fiction of an enigmatic art star with a secret history, here is what we are reading this season. By Artnet News, Jul 21, 2023
Crime A Swiss Teen Was Caught Carving Her Name Into the Colosseum, in Yet Another Case of Vandalism at the Amphitheater The Swiss teen, who has not been identified, was on vacation with her family. By Adam Schrader, Jul 18, 2023
Crime Italian Police Have Arrested a Man Suspected of Burning Down a Prized Arte Povera Installation in Naples The suspect was identified as a 32-year-old homeless man. By Adam Schrader, Jul 14, 2023
Crime An Alleged Arson Attack Has Destroyed Michelangelo Pistoletto’s ‘Venus Of The Rags’ Installation in Naples The artist has committed to making another version of the work for the city. By Adam Schrader, Jul 12, 2023
Crime A Palm Beach Dealer Peddling Cheap Warhol and Basquiat Replicas for Millions Has Been Sentenced to Over Two Years in Prison The dealer has started paying back victims of his scam. By Sarah Cascone, May 31, 2023
Crime A Portuguese Ex-Banker Convicted of Fraud in a $20 Million Art Deal Has Evaded Jail Time After a Criminal Statute Expired José Viamonte de Sousa skimmed millions off a sale of 41 Joan Miró paintings. By Eileen Kinsella, May 16, 2023
Crime The Oddball Sideshow for Trump’s Arraignment? The Case of a Movie Producer Who Allegedly Waltzed Into a West Village Townhouse to Steal 9 Paintings Raymond Bouderau appeared in the same courthouse as the former president to face charges of burglary. By Sarah Cascone, Apr 4, 2023
Museums & Institutions Winterizing Monuments, Digitizing Archives: How Ukraine Is Fighting to Preserve Its Cultural Heritage a Year Into the Russian Invasion UNESCO has identified damage to 241 cultural heritage sites in Ukraine since February 2022. By Eileen Kinsella, Feb 27, 2023
Law & Politics A French Court Has Ordered Christie’s to Restitute an Adriaen Van Der Werff Painting That Was Stolen During World War II Parisian collector Lionel Hauser reported the work's theft in 1945. By Sarah Cascone, Feb 1, 2023
Crime A Geneva Court Has Found Antiquities Dealer Ali Aboutaam Guilty of Illegally Importing Artifacts He was given a suspended jail sentence and a $500,000 fine. By Eileen Kinsella, Jan 26, 2023
Crime A Renowned Archaeologist Is Calling on Sotheby’s to Withdraw Potentially Looted Antiquities From Its Auction Christos Tsirogiannis, an expert at identifying illicit antiquities, is once again sounding the alarm. By Sarah Cascone, Dec 6, 2022
Crime Two American Expats, Whose Guatemala Home Turned Up More Than 1,200 Pre-Hispanic Artifacts, Face Charges of Smuggling A raid of the couple's home uncovered archaeological objects, and significant works in jade and basalt. By Sarah Cascone, Nov 17, 2022
