Observer
  • Business
  • Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Culture
Newsletters
  • Business
    • Finance
    • Media
    • Technology
    • Policy
    • Wealth
    • Insights
    • Interviews
  • Arts
    • Art Fairs
    • Art Market
    • Art Reviews
    • Auctions
    • Galleries
    • Museums
    • Interviews
  • Culture
    • Theater
    • Opera
    • Dance
    • Film
    • Interviews
  • Lifestyle
    • Nightlife & Dining
    • Style
    • Travel
    • Gift Guides
    • Interviews
  • Power Index
    • Nightlife & Dining
    • Business of Art
    • A.I.
    • PR
  • About
    • About Observer
    • Advertise With Us
    • Reprints
Newsletters

Art Crimes

News that shakes the art world—but may not surprise it. Art fraud, stolen art and more. Return to Arts.

Greece, Athens, Red-figure kylix depicting a banquet scene

What Collectors Need to Know When Buying Art and Antiquities Abroad

“Many of our dealer and collector clients have had objects seized by Customs after arrival in the U.S. The objects were subject to forfeiture, and all of the importers were subject to civil and criminal penalties depending on the nature of the infraction,” lawyer William G. Pearlstein told Observer.
By Daniel Grant
Stylized Art Deco–inspired illustration of a masked burglar in dark clothing stealing a framed abstract geometric painting, depicted in bold angular lines with deep orange, red, and blue tones.

How to Protect Your Art Collection from Theft, According to the Experts

With only five to ten percent of stolen artworks ever recovered, prevention is far more effective than pursuit.
By Daniel Grant
A hooded, faceless figure sits at a laptop surrounded by orange binary code, symbolizing digital impersonation and online art scams.

Inside the Art World’s Latest Scams: Fake Profiles, Fraudulent Consignments and Digital Impersonation

Barriers to deepfake-level authenticity are collapsing, making identity theft in the art world not only effortless but chillingly precise.
By Elisa Carollo
A woman sits in shadow on an art gallery bench viewing two well-lit paintings.

An Art Gallery Lost Your Consignment. Now What?

By Daniel Grant
Barry Avrich, a white man with a receding hairline (dark brown) leans on a bar wearing a brown leather jacket in a dark room

Barry Avrich Knows Everybody Loves a Fake

By Noah Berlatsky
A person points to text in an aged, illuminated manuscript resting on a display surface under dim lighting

Hidden Liabilities: How Rare Manuscripts Threaten Institutional Reputations

By Brett Erickson
Woman with blonde hair sits cross legged on couch

The Lisa Schiff Question: Does 2.5 Years in Jail Balance $6.5 Million in Fraud

By Elisa Carollo
Two men dressed with FBI jackets hold a painting to take it out of a gallery

The ‘FBI’ Seized a Stolen Rembrandt in a Gallery Raid; It Was a Movie Promotion Stunt

By Elisa Carollo
Picture of a woman in black dress in front of a bronze ancient Greece helmet.

The Legal Systems Reshaping the Art World: An Interview With Lawyer Leila A. Amineddoleh

By Elisa Carollo
A head of a Buddha statue

When Deaccessioned Art and Antiquities Have Nowhere to Go

By Daniel Grant
Two people kneel at a box containing a statue

A Look Back at Museum Repatriation in 2024

By Daniel Grant
A man in a suit and tie holds a briefcase full of painting supplies

Art Law: How Nations Around the World Deal with Forgeries

By Daniel Grant
Large oil painting depicting the Virgin Mary cradling an infant.

A Twice-Stolen Titian Could Fetch $31M at Auction

By Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly
Painting of diner on street corner

A South Carolina Museum Is Selling ‘Counterfeit’ Art for a Good Cause

By Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

How Museums Acquire Antiquities Is Changing

By Daniel Grant
two colorful prints, both featuring people, set in a side-by-side grid

Art Theft Research: There’s an App for That

By Daniel Grant
Long oil painting with figures and wood scenes

Musée Rolin Helps Return a Nazi-Looted Painting to Its Rightful Owner

By Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly
Woman with blonde hair sits cross legged on couch

Phillips to Bring Lisa Schiff’s Artwork to Auction

By Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly
A cartoon of a thief stealing a painting

In Art Recovery, Cash May Be the Deciding Factor

By Daniel Grant
Woman with long blonde hair stands in art gallery

The Art Collectors Seeking Repayment from Lisa Schiff

By Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly
Three Schiele paintings in a row showing figures against pale backgrounds

The Return of Seven Schiele Works Marks a Turning Point in Nazi-Looted Art Claims

By Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly

Did Leo DiCaprio’s Former Art Advisor Exploit the Star’s Name?

By Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly
Entrance of the Met museum

Met Museum Accused of Holding More Than 1,000 Antiquities Linked to Traffickers

By Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly
Red sign with Christie's in white letters.

Upcoming Christie’s Sale Includes a Nepalese Sculpture Tied to Antiquity Looters

By Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly
More
  • ARTS
    • Art Fairs
    • Art Market
    • Art Reviews
    • Auctions
    • Galleries
    • Museums
  • BUSINESS
    • Energy
    • Finance
    • Media
    • Policy
    • Technology
    • Climate
  • CULTURE
    • Books
    • Dance
    • Film
    • Opera
    • Theater
  • LIFESTYLE
    • Autos
    • Hotels
    • Nightlife & Dining
    • Restaurants
    • Style
    • Travel
  • WEALTH
    • Billionaires
    • Parties
    • Philanthropy
    • Real Estate
  • EXPERT INSIGHTS
    • A.I. Experts
    • Art Market Experts
    • Climate Experts
    • Finance Experts
  • POWER LISTS
    • PR Power List
    • Nightlife & Dining
    • Business of Art
    • A.I. Power List
  • INTERVIEWS
    • Art World
    • Business Leaders
    • Tastemakers
    • Entertainers
  • ABOUT
  • ADVERTISE
  • CONTACT
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • RSS FEEDS
  • SITEMAP
  • TERMS
  • PRIVACY
  • REPRINTS
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Cookie Settings
  • Do not sell my data
Powered by WordPress VIP

We noticed you're using an ad blocker.

We get it: you like to have control of your own internet experience.
But advertising revenue helps support our journalism.

To read our full stories, please turn off your ad blocker.
We'd really appreciate it.

How Do I Whitelist Observer?

How Do I Whitelist Observer?

Below are steps you can take in order to whitelist Observer.com on your browser:

For Adblock:

Click the AdBlock button on your browser and select Don't run on pages on this domain.

For Adblock Plus on Google Chrome:

Click the AdBlock Plus button on your browser and select Enabled on this site.

For Adblock Plus on Firefox:

Click the AdBlock Plus button on your browser and select Disable on Observer.com.

Then Reload the Page