Fri Sep 27,10:36 AM ET, Associated Press
BERN, Switzerland - Swiss authorities said Friday they had returned to Italy two stolen Renaissance paintings and a marble sculpture which they discovered during a customs search. The Justice Ministry said the artworks were seized from a Russian citizen early in 2000 in Stabio, close to Italy's border in Switzerland's southern canton (state) of Ticino. The operation was part of an investigation by Ticino authorities into the alleged handling of stolen goods by a company based in Liechtenstein. The ministry did not identify the company or the Russian citizen. Italian authorities also had the company and the Russian citizen under investigation, the ministry said.
The two painting were "Madonna and Child" by the early 16th century artist Giovanni Belli and "The Adoration of the Child" by Bartolomeo Di Giovanni, who painted from 1480 to 1510. The sculpture — "Bust of Beatrice" — was the work of Antonio Canova, who worked at the end of the 18th and the start of the 19th century. They were stolen from private and state collections in Italy, the ministry said.
Underworld deal leads police to art
By Jason Bennetto, Crime Correspondent 28 September 2002
Two paintings worth an estimated £2.5m have been recovered more than a year after armed robbers stole them from an Irish mansion in what may have been a deal struck with members of the Dublin underworld. Gainsborough's Madame Baccelli and Bernardo Bellotto's View of Florence were found by detectives from the police's arts and antiquities unit at a house in Dublin on Thursday night. The works of art were stolen on 26 June last year from the Beit collection at Russborough House in Blessington, Co Wicklow, after two cars rammed the front door of the house. At least two armed men were involved in the theft. Nobody has been charged in connection with the robbery. A police spokesman said the two paintings were in a good condition but they were not in their frames.
Detectives linked the suspects for that crime to associates of the infamous Dublin gangster Martin Cahill, who stole a Rubens masterpiece and 18 other paintings, including the Madame Baccelli, from the same collection in 1986. An informant recently helped the Irish police find the long-lost Rubens, while the Gainsborough was recovered soon after the raid, only to be stolen again last year. Police were optimistic that the same informant would lead them to the Bellotto and Gainsborough this year. Negotiations are believed to have been ongoing between the police and various underworld figures who knew the location of the paintings. The recovery last month of Head of a Man, the 17th-century masterpiece by Rubens, is thought to have been the result of protracted talks with a well-known Dublin criminal. There were no arrests ahead of the find, giving rise to suspicion that a reward had been paid by the insurers. Only two other paintings from the Beit collection are still missing from the 1986 theft – both small 18th-century landscapes by Francesco Guardi. http://news.independent.co.uk/
CALL TO SAVE ANCIENT SITES FROM DAMAGE
12:00 - 28 September 2002
Conservationists have welcomed a call to protect ancient sites in Devon.
Devon county councillor Graham Wickham warned colleagues at the Liberal Democrat conference that many historic sites were at risk from farming, leisure and development. Party members backed a plan for the party to become the first to adopt a policy to protect threatened sites. Kingsteignton resident Cllr Wickham, who represents Newton Abbot East on the county council, said modern farming methods meant archaeological sites in Devon could be quickly destroyed. He said such historical sites were also under threat from mountain biking and 4x4 vehicle rallies. He told the conference: "Following the arrival of more modern and powerful machinery, thousands of years of history can easily be destroyed in just a few hours." Devon has 4,500 scheduled ancient monuments, which are designated by the Government to give the sites some protection. But farmers who own land on which these monuments stand are entitled to cultivate the area. Under the Liberal Democrat plan, promoting archaeology and protecting key heritage sites will be given a higher profile. Cllr Wickham said: "In the main the sites are underground, and they can easily be destroyed by ploughing, housing development, and gas, water, and communication pipelines. "A more recent problem is the damage caused by new leisure pursuits."
Open Spaces Society spokesman Kate Ashbrook said: "Dartmoor is rich in ancient monuments and anything that can be done to toughen the protection of these is welcome." A spokeswoman from Devon County Council's archaeology department said: "English Heritage has demonstrated cultivation is the single greatest cause of the loss of archaeological sites in the countryside. The council's archaeological team negotiates to take some of these sites out of cultivation and the Government's Countryside Stewardship Scheme compensates the farmers." http://www.thisisnorthdevon.co.uk/
Library Vandal Gets Big Fine for Defacing SF Books
A man who defaced more than 600 books at the San Francisco Main Library has been sentenced to five years probation and ordered to pay a $9600 fine. The books were almost all on gay and lesbian subjects. Library officials said some of the books had cats' eyes carved into the covers, and others were stuffed with Christian writings. John Perkyns, an apartment security guard, pleaded no contest to felony vandalism. He also agreed to undergo counseling. http://beta.kpix.com/ The Art Newspaper.com
This week's top stories:
APPEAL TO BUCKINGHAM PALACE TO RETURN BENIN BRONZE
LONDON. Professor Ekpo Eyo is calling on Buckingham Palace to return the Benin bronze head which was taken from the Lagos National Museum and presented to The Queen during General Yakubu Gowon’s State visit to London in 1973. http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=10055
SICILIAN EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE WORSE THAN EXPECTED
PALERMO. After the violent earthquake which hit Palermo on 6 September, the city is beginning to assess the damage to its historic and artistic heritage. Even buildings which were at first thought to have remained unharmed, have, on closer inspection, revealed damage of varying severity. http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=10054
BRITISH MUSEUM DRAWINGS UNDER SCRUTINY
LONDON. The British Museum (BM) trustees will later this month examine a claim to four Old Master drawings said to have been looted during the Nazi period. These are by the Martin Schongauer (circle of), Niccolò dell’Abbate, Nicholas Blakey and Martin Schmidt. The claim is from the grandson of Dr Arthur Feldmann, from Czechoslovakia, who is believed to have owned the drawings in the 1930s. http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=10053
BANGKOK’S GOVERNOR TRIES TO TURN ARTS CENTRE INTO GARAGE
BANGKOK. Bangkok’s governo,r Samak Sundaravej,’s plan to turn a sorely needed arts centre into a commercial development has hit some unexpected snags, as artists stage headline-grabbing protests and construction companies refuse to participate in the project. http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=10052
HAUNTED HOUSES AND HAPPY ARCHITECTURE
At issue this month are aesthetic criteria, social responsibility, and their implications for artists, architects, and the nation. A large agenda in the climate of the Turner Prize, the Venice Architecture Biennale, Open House, and the Countryside March for, among other demands, “affordable housing”. http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=10051
RECLAIMED BY FEMINISM
Anne Vallayer-Coster (1744-1814) is hardly a household name today, but, in the latter half of the 18th century, she was, in fact, a highly successful artist operating in Paris. Her real gift was for still-life and flowers, although she also tried her hand at portraiture. http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=10050 Anna Somers Cocks, Editor
The Art Newspaper 70 South Lambeth Road London SW8 1RL UK tel +44(0)207 735 3331 fax +44(0)207 735 3332 http://www.theartnewspaper.com