Author: Feldman, Franklin and Burnham, Bonnie

Publication Year: 1977

Media Type: Report

Summary:

Art theft is one of the more elusive criminal problems facing society; it seems to defy prevention through traditional methods of law enforcement. Although at present it is difficult to determine either the scale or the impact of the art theft problem, it is clear that the number of art thefts has grown dramatically in recent years, yet an apparatus for effectively combating this growth has been slow to develop. While increasing numbers of law enforcement officers are specializing in art crimes, our knowledge in this area remains fragmentary, and reporting both of thefts and of recoveries of stolen art continues to be extremely haphazard.

Abstract:

Art theft is one of the more elusive criminal problems facing society; it seems to defy prevention through traditional methods of law enforcement. Although at present it is difficult to determine either the scale or the impact of the art theft problem, it is clear that the number of art thefts has grown dramatically in recent years, yet an apparatus for effectively combating this growth has been slow to develop. While increasing numbers of law enforcement officers are specializing in art crimes, our knowledge in this area remains fragmentary, and reporting both of thefts and of recoveries of stolen art continues to be extremely haphazard. The unique nature of this form of crime appears to call for a special methodology to combat it.

Increasing awareness of this fact has led many people to propose schemes for dealing with art thefts. One generally accepted premise in all of the hypothesized solutions is that an international clearinghouse could materially advance the recovery of stolen objects. An archive which indexed and transmitted information on stolen art would make stolen objects easier to recognize, and practically impossible to sell or transport. This article will probe the role of such an archive in controlling information on stolen art, the problems which must be solved in order to establish the archive, and the roles which might be established to ensure the full and active international collaboration essential to its success. (p. 702-705).

CONTENTS
1. Introduction: The need for an art theft archive. 

A. Starting point. 
B. Governmental and private pressures.

2. Basic decisions. 

A. Limiting the substantive content.
     1. Theft. 
     2. Art. 
     3. Authoritative sources of information. 
B. Access to information: a closed or open pipeline.

3. The scope of an art archive. 

A. Shortcomings of current inventories.
B. Models for an international archive.

4. Conclusion.

Arts & Intersections:

Categories: International