From correspondents in Berlin 10dec02
TWO men have been sentenced for the spectacular theft of nine famous German expressionist paintings estimated to be worth about 3.6 million euro ($6.49 million) from Berlin's Bruecke museum. The works included six pieces by Erich Heckel as well as paintings by Emil Nolde, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and a piece by Max Pechstein, which was ripped in two after the break-in. A 44-year-old Bosnian admitted his role in the April 20 theft to the Berlin court and was jailed for five-and-a-half years, including time for a second burglary a few weeks later. He claimed he did not know who had damaged the Pechstein picture, saying he had been shocked by the action. A German of Yugoslav origin who admitted involvement in trying to sell the stolen works was given a suspended jail sentence of two years. Two other men charged with being accomplices have denied involvement. Their trial is due to continue next week. The thieves managed to deactivate the alarm system at the Bruecke museum to get at the paintings. The museum specialises in the Die Bruecke group, one of the biggest of the expressionist movement, which was founded in the southeastern city of Dresden in 1905 by Kirchner and Heckel.
When the theft was discovered, police initially thought the works had been smuggled to Russia, only to find them - minus half the Pechstein painting - in a Berlin apartment a month later. The other half of the Pechstein was found in June in a bag at the side of a highway.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/
Schiphol Airport Museum opens days after theft of Van Gogh works in Amsterdam
Mon Dec 9,12:12 PM ET
By TOBY STERLING, Associated Press Writer
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - Unconcerned about a series of art thefts from Dutch museums, Amsterdam's Schiphol airport opened a small gallery Monday housing paintings by Rembrandt and other Dutch masters. The opening follows the theft of two Vincent van Gogh paintings in Amsterdam Saturday, a multimillion-dollar diamond heist last week from a museum in The Hague, and the theft of five important works from the Frans Hals museum in Haarlem in March. Jan Rudolph de Lorm, director of exhibitions at the Rijksmuseum, which operates the gallery, said he was "absolutely not afraid" thieves can pull off a similar burglary at the new airport museum. "This is a secure museum within a totally safe airport, behind security checks and passport controls," he said. "In addition to the broader safe environment, everything is behind glass." De Lorm said the gallery would have 24- hour protection by "both human and mechanized" guards, but he refused to be specific. Police said they have no suspects in any of the three thefts or any evidence to link them to the same gang. The burglaries in Amsterdam and Haarlem were committed in a similar, low-tech manner: thieves broke in after hours, triggering alarms, but escaped before police arrived minutes later.
The one-room airport gallery, suspended like a gilded cage in the departure hall, is free for travelers holding a boarding pass. The initial display includes the only signed portrait Rembrandt ever made of his wife, Saskia van Uylenburgh. Among the other nine 17th century paintings is an important Jan Steen piece depicting a pantry scene. The Rembrandt and Steen paintings will be rotated with other works after several months. The permanent collection includes works by Pieter de Hooch and Jacob van Ruisdael.
"We wanted to start off with a bang," de Lorm said.
He said he believed Schiphol gallery is the first permanent museum at any airport, though other important works have been displayed in temporary collections at airports and train stations. The paintings stolen Saturday from the Van Gogh Museum were both early works by Van Gogh, "View of the Sea at Scheveningen," painted in 1882, and "Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Neunen," painted in 1884- 5. Though the works stolen were not for sale, similar Van Gogh paintings have sold for millions of dollars. The works stolen in Haarlem were by Jan Steen, Cornelis Bega, Adriaan van Ostade and Cornelis Dusart. They were estimated to be worth US$3 million. All the stolen paintings are too well-known to be sold publicly. Police believe they were either taken on demand for a private collector or may be offered for ransom later.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/
Library director charged with selling copies of ancient book
BUCHAREST, Romania - The director of Romania's National Library was released Tuesday, a day after he was arrested on charges of illegally selling abroad copies of a precious 8th century book, defrauding the state of US$1.5 million. Ion Dan Erceanu was arrested Monday after two weeks of investigation, said police spokesman Lt. Marius Tache. "He is charged with abusing his position and defrauding the state because he agreed to make photocopies of a document that is part of the national heritage," Tache said by telephone. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. Erceanu was released from detention late Tuesday after prosecutors rejected a police request to extend the arrest, his attorney Dan Nastrut said by telephone. Erceanu is not allowed to leave Bucharest for 30 days. Nastrut said his client was innocent and had not been involved in the illegal sale of the copies. The manuscript was copied before Erceanu became the library director, Nastrut added. "There is no proof of guilt. The investigation came at the insistence at the Culture Ministry," Nastrut said, adding the charges could be politically motivated. Erceanu has opposed plans to use the National Library as government headquarters. Police denied they had been under political pressure in the case, and the government's spokesman could not be reached for comment. Copies of the Codex Aureus, a church manuscript from the Carolingian period written in gold letters, were sold to museums in Germany as well as to a Swiss publishing house, police said. Erceanu is accused of making more than 300 copies and selling them for 33,000 German marks (about US$16,500) each between 1998 to 1999. He was named director of the National Library, which has several branches in Romania, in 1997. Erceanu claimed the copies were made by a German museum in 1993, which later sold reproduction rights to the Swiss publisher.
Parts of the Codex Aureus, which is worth US$25 million, are held in the National Museum in the historical Transylvanian city Alba Iulia. The other half is kept in the Vatican. The cover is held in London. The arrest appeared to be part of authorities' latest offensive against widespread corruption. The European Union (news - web sites) and the United States have urged Romania to crack down on deeply rooted graft, which they say is undermining the economy. The average national monthly income is 4.3 million lei (US$ 130).
http://story.news.yahoo.com/
Museums get tough on 'trophy' returns
By Peter Fray, Europe Correspondent, London December 11 2002
A group of leading European and US museums have issued a declaration opposing the wholesale repatriation of cultural artefacts seized during imperial rule or by means now considered unethical. They say the universal role played by collections of archaeological, artistic and ethnic objects in promoting culture outweighs the desire by individual countries or racial groups for their return. The declaration is the most significant move by the world's leading museums to protect treasures, often seized during colonial rule, from being returned - such as the Elgin Marbles, which the Greek Government desperately wants back, the Benin bronzes in the British Museum, and thousands of Egyptian works in the Louvre. The declaration may harm Australian Aboriginal campaigns for the return of artefacts and human remains from Europe. A British working group, due to report by Christmas, is expected to urge the Blair Government to relax laws hindering the return of bones to Aboriginal people. The declaration's signatories include the Louvre in Paris, the Hermitage in St Petersburg, the Prado in Madrid, the Metropolitan, Guggenheim, Whitney and Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and the State Museums in Berlin. The British Museum, which has a collection of Aboriginal remains, did not sign the declaration but said its director, Neil MacGregor, supported its intent. "We don't believe in breaking up collections," said spokesman Andrew Hamilton. The declaration described repatriation as "a disservice to all visitors" although it said requests for specific objects would be judged individually. "We should acknowledge that museums serve not just the citizens of one nation but the people of every nation," it said. While they are opposed to illegal trafficking in objects, they draw a distinction for material seized "decades or even centuries ago" and now held in museums.
"We should recognise that objects acquired in earlier times must be viewed in the light of different sensitivities and values, reflective of that era." Several European institutions have recently returned artefacts to traditional owners or original countries. Italy has agreed to repatriate an Ethiopian obelisk, seized by Mussolini in 1937, and a Scottish museum has returned to the Sioux Indians a spiritually significant ghost-dance shirt, worn at the battle of Wounded Knee in 1890. But most institutions remain opposed to the return of prized collections. Mr Hamilton said the British Museum was a place where "you can come and see the entire history of mankind in one place". Asked why his institution did not sign the declaration, he said the British Museum was "quite happy" to let others take the initiative. The British Government will soon receive a report on the repatriation of human remains from a group of leading historians, museum directors, lawyers, anthropologists and medical specialists. The group, led by Professor Norman Palmer, a legal academic from University College, London, found that two-thirds of British museums held remains. European and British museums are believed to hold thousands of Aboriginal bones, hair and soft tissues, removed from Australia usually against the wishes of local people or without their knowledge. Two years ago Prime Minister John Howard and British Prime Minister Tony Blair agreed to speed up the return of human remains between the two countries, but several institutions, including London's Natural History Museum, opposed the idea. But there have been some repatriations, including the return by the British Royal College of Surgeons of remains of Truganini, one of colonial Australia's most famous Aborigines. The Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre and the Foundation for Aboriginal and Island Research Action have campaigned for more than 20 years for the return of remains. Although Aboriginal campaigners concede that human remains are not the same as artefacts, repatriation opponents use the same justification - that collections are universal - to deny attempts to return material. Lyndon Ormond Parker, a London-based Aboriginal researcher and postgraduate student, said the museums' declaration showed that years of campaigning by indigenous groups were having an impact.
"Museums which have the most to lose are getting together to fight this with a united front," he said. Letters published in the current edition of the Science and Public Affairs journal, between repatriation opponent Robert Foley, of Cambridge University, and repatriation supporter Jane Morris, the editor of the Museums Journal, reveal why the issue has become one of science's hottest topics. Professor Foley, director of the Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, tells Ms Morris that "the ultimate justification is that skeletal collections are kept as part of global human heritage, not the preserve of any one culture". "Will future generations of Western and aboriginal cultures be more grateful that the past was preserved rather than lost or intentionally destroyed because of current political fashion?" he asks. In another he writes: "As custodian of one of the major research centres, I do not want future generations to look back and say we threw away an opportunity to use anthropology and science to bring a better understanding of our species." The working group is expected to deliver its report before Christmas.
Keeping Cultural Heritage Out of Harm's Way
The Nov. 29 op-ed article "Preserving Iraq's Past" was a welcome reminder that humanitarian values and the continuity of Western civilization should not be sacrificed in an effort to bring modern democracy to Iraq.
Attention to cultural heritage in Iraq is legally justified as well. The United States is bound by a Hague convention of 1907, which calls for the protection of public and private property during war, including religious, charitable, educational, artistic and scientific institutions. After the massive destruction of cultural heritage during World War II, the United States joined other nations in 1954 to create the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, now ratified by more than 100 nations and administered by UNESCO. In 1999, this treaty went to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with a request for ratification. The current U.S. reentry into UNESCO would seem an opportune time for ratification.
Protection of cultural sites and objects must be considered not only in planning and implementing a war, but also in its aftermath. During civil strife after the Persian Gulf War of 1991, several provincial museums in Iraq were ransacked. The museum catalogues were later sent to UNESCO in the hope that some of the ancient objects might be traced through the international antiquities market.
Iraq is the site of ancient Mesopotamia and Old Testament lands. Baghdad was the seat of the medieval Islamic Abbasid caliphate, and the cities of Kerbala and Najaf are among the holiest Shiite Muslim shrines. Scholars can provide the U.S. military with details of the location and importance of cultural sites and historic structures in Iraq so provisions for protection may be made should armed engagement occur.
ARLENE K. FLEMING
Great Falls
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Date sent: Tue, 10 Dec 2002 20:27:39 -0600 From: Jonathan Sazonoff saz@kwom.com Send reply to: saz@kwom.com Organization: SAZ PRODUCTIONS, INC. To: securma@xs4all.nl
Subject: Observations regarding the Van Gogh Theft
Dear Subscribers,
Just going over some notes on the recent robbery at the Van Gogh Museum. I guess we should extend our sympathies to the Museum. No one likes losing a painting, much less two Van Goghs! For readers of this list, here is a little background about stolen works by the painter Vincent Van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890) and some observations concerning the possible relationships between recent Dutch art thefts. We hope it provides a little food for thought.
There have been other infamous Van Gogh capers. Historically, thieves don't prosper by stealing such famous paintings from museums. All these historic heists happily ended with the safe recovery of the paintings involved.
FAMOUS SOLVED VAN GOGH HEISTS:
Rome's National Modern Art Gallery (1998) Antwerp's Museum of Fine Art (1997) Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum (1991) Netherlands' Noordbrabant Museum (1990) Netherlands' Kroeller Mueller Museum (1988) Amsterdam's Stedelijk Museum (1988) Milan's Gallery of Modern Art (1975)
Each of these crimes can provide a fascinating case study about art theft and recovery, but enough from our television production notes. For those interested in "hot" Van Gogh's here is our current list of missing works. http://www.saztv.com/page75.html
HOLLANDS RECENT ART THEFTS:
Beyond the historic perspective of stolen Van Gogh's, this recent crime can also be examined in terms of the thieves modus operandi in and its possible similarity to other crimes. These particular thieves have the ability to thwart professional security systems. It seems they realize there are alarms and detection systems and have adapted by planing a sophisticated form of smash and grab - through a museum's window or skylight. The time it takes for entry, removal of objects, egress, and escape is less than the few minutes it takes for police to respond.
I don't know if any of these crimes are related but there have been several major unsolved art thefts in Holland over the few past year. The number of high quality items (rare paintings) along with the type of venues hit and modus operandi might seem to indicate the possible work of a gang. In the year 2002 (thus far) three Dutch museum have been hit.
December 7, 2002 - Amsterdam Vincent Van Gogh Museum had two paintings stolen. Thieves entered a museum through a window and escaped before police responded to the alarm. http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/12/07/vangogh.stolen/
December 2, 2002 - Gem theft at the Hague's Museon. This recent gem theft may or may not be related. The loot was different, security systems involved should be different (i.e. secure display cases) and an unknown MO makes the relativity similarity of this case problematic. http://www.museum-security.org/02/146.html
March 25, 2002 - Haarlem Franz Hals Museum lost five paintings. Thieves entered a museum through a window and escaped before police responded to the alarm. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/arts/newsid_1894000/1894235.stm
In contrast, several years ago it seems that private collections were the big target in Holland. The modus operandi of residential break in differs from this most recent theft; however, the criminal focus on rare older paintings should be noted. Perhaps this is a case of escalation, in regards to this form of criminal behavior.
2001 - Amsterdam Art Dealer - theft of works by artists Apol, Boch, Kruseman, Mondriaan, Monticelli, Trouillebert, Vallee, Van Heemskerk, Van Mastenbroek, Verboekhoven, and Westerbeek. No record of M.O or date of crime.
November 9, 1999 in Bilthoven seven old Dutch paintings were stolen by masked criminals who attacked an elderly lady. The thieves examined the paintings before taking them. http://www.museum-security.org/99/095.html
August 4, 1999 in Bussum seven old Dutch paintings were stolen from a private residence. http://www.museum-security.org/99/047.html
Again, I don't know if any of these crimes are related but thought this insight all might be of interest. With today's advancements in communication (Marshall McLuhan's global village) every police force, art connoisseur, auction house and Joe on the street (wanna buy a Van Gogh?) knows these paintings are hot. The paintings can't be easily sold, or displayed, and offer an easy ticket to prison for the stupid individual left holding such stolen property. But then again, I could be wrong.
Hope you find this of interest, Jonathan Sazonoff Saz Productions, Inc. http://www.saztv.com
Contributing US Ed. Museum Security Network http://www.museum-security.org/saz.html
Date: 10 Dec 2002 From: Halldora Asgeirsdottir halldora@natmus.is
Subject: Conference on forgeries
Art Forgeries IIC Nordic Group 16th conference National and University library of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland June 4-7, 2003
Please register on line before the 15th of January (number of registrations limited ) http://www.mmedia.is/nkf-is/enmain.htm Registration Fee: ISK 24.000 including conference, lunches, Blue lagoon and Golden Circle excursions, evening program except banquet dinner.
Nathalie Jacqueminet nathalie@natmus.is
Halldora Asgeirsdottir halldora@natmus.is
from: http://www.artantiquesmag.com/
It is very weird that people in the art world are willing to do business with this fraud and that Art and Antiques Magazine advertises this show!
Ton Cremers Museum Security Network
Honest Fakes
WARWICK, ENGLAND -- Former felon John Myatt is infamous for his forgeries. In fact, he spent four months in prison as the creative half of one of the 20th century's greatest art frauds. As the brush man for con artist extraordinaire John Drewe, Myatt copied works by Picasso, Raoul Dufy, Ben Nicholson, Georges Braque and many others-- about 200 in all. The paintings made hundreds of thousands of dollars in the 1980s and '90s. After trading prisoner portraits for phone cards behind bars, Myatt is now knocking off more masterpieces and selling them under his own name in The Gallery in Warwick. "I sign all the pieces, 'John Myatt--Genuine Fakes,' " he says. The paintings, pulled off using house paint, are a smash. "He's sold out the show--80 paintings," says dealer Alan Elkin, who commissioned Edward Hopper's "New York Movie," 1939, from Myatt. And the scam may soon hit the silver screen: Michael Douglas plans to produce a movie about Drewe. Myatt has met with the producers and is ready to supply the art. "I can paint almost anything," he says.
011 44 192 649 5506. www.aeart.co.uk.
Edinburgh fire 'could last for days'
(The city's Old Town district has been designated a World Heritage Site by Unesco.)
Local residents had to be evacuated from the area
A major fire in Edinburgh's historic Old Town may not be fully extinguished for another two days, fire chiefs have said. The blaze, which broke out on Saturday evening above a nightclub in the Cowgate area, took fire crews more than 18 hours to bring under control. However, pockets of fires burning within the complex network of business and residential properties could take days to put out. Several properties have been burnt out by the blaze, including the famous Gilded Balloon comedy venue, and firefighters fear some could collapse. More than 100 firefighters tackled the blaze Efforts to stop the fire from spreading to other buildings in the area, including the architecturally significant Adam House, appear to have been successful, although the properties are smoke-damaged. While firefighters continue to work on shoring up the area, roads will remain closed, promising traffic chaos on Monday. The fire started at about 2015 GMT on Saturday above La Belle Angele nightclub, located behind the Gilded Balloon. It spread rapidly from a shaft, up through the seven-storey building, affecting residential and commercial premises on various street levels of the Old Town. The city's Old Town district has been designated a World Heritage Site by Unesco. Many of the buildings dating from the medieval period, it is built on a ridge topped by Edinburgh Castle. The nearby Royal Mile area is a magnet for tourists and sightseers from around the world and the Cowgate is popular with clubbers. Councillor Bill Cunningham said that if the fire had started later in the evening it could have been much more dangerous as the nightclubs in the area would have been packed. The area is a magnet for tourists "There would have been hundreds of people down there. We are very lucky indeed that it started early and was caught early and the place was closed off." Assistant firemaster Del Simpson, of Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade, said it had been a "very serious fire" but it was now under control. But he added: "There are pockets of fires burning throughout the buildings but these pockets are deep-seated because a lot of debris has been falling on to the top of them so water is not getting to them." He said crews were standing by in nearby Chambers Street in case high gusts of wind reignited the flames.
Collapse risk
The narrow streets and network of commercial premises had made the blaze very difficult for the firefighters to tackle, he said. Mr Simpson also said there was a danger that the buildings could collapse. "Some of the floors have collapsed and this has made the actual gable ends and the frontage of the buildings quite unsteady," Mr Simpson said.
An eight-day walkout by firefighters had been due to begin last Wednesday but was called off by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) general secretary Andy Gilchrist to allow for talks at conciliation service Acas. Mr Simpson suggested that the army, who provide cover during the strikes, would have struggled to deal with the blaze had the firefighters been on strike. He said: "We have been using specialist high appliances to tackle the fire which have greater height than anything the army has. "So it is fair to say that the fire from the army's point of view would have been very difficult indeed." At the height of the blaze 19 fire appliances were involved along with four high level appliances from across Lothian and Borders and other areas. The local authority placed 54 people in emergency accommodation and a number of students were also evacuated.
2-year Art Museum sprinkler plan approved
The system for storage areas would be finished in 2004. By Patricia Horn Inquirer Staff Writer
In a move to protect irreplaceable art and firefighters' lives, the Philadelphia Museum of Art promised yesterday to install a sprinkler system throughout its basement storage level within two years. The $2.5 million plan, approved by the regional Board of Safety and Fire Prevention at a hearing yesterday, would correct a fire-code violation that dates back a half-century. The museum was not cited for the violation until 1995. "We took very seriously the board's concerns as well as our concerns for the collection," Robert Morrone, the museum's director of facilities, told the board. "We created a plan that meets those concerns." Yesterday, the museum and the City of Philadelphia, which owns the neoclassical landmark, presented their time line to the seven-member board. The board endorsed it and forwarded it for approval to Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Harold Hairston. Hairston, who is expected to issue a decision within three weeks, said he was "very likely" to approve it.
"I don't want to see any firefighters hurt," he said by telephone after the meeting. "I don't want to see any members of the public hurt. I don't want to see any employees at the museum hurt." City, fire and museum officials have emphasized that the museum does not pose a risk to the public. The sprinkler plan was immediately questioned by the City Controller's Office, which asked why it would take so long. "We have faith in the regional board, but we would like to ask the museum to explain the timetable in more detail and why the design phase is taking so long," Deputy City Controller Anthony Radwanski said. Under the plan, construction would not begin for 14 months. The Controller's Office began an audit at the museum in September, after an article in The Inquirer disclosed that the museum had long been in violation of the fire code. The Controller's Office said it was auditing the 10 percent of the museum's collection that belongs to the city and "monitoring" the museum's fire-safety practices. The audit will be completed in four months, Radwanski said. Since the museum was cited in 1995, it has received two extensions from the board to upgrade the sprinkler system. Last summer, the board rejected the museum's third request, to take 10 to 12 years to improve its sprinklers and perform other work. The museum is in the midst of a decade-long renovation of its main building and the Perelman building across Kelly Drive. Renovating the vast basement storage area, which is larger than two football fields, is part of that plan. The storage area on Level B holds paintings, sculptures, books, carpets, furniture, ceramics, china and silver, including works by Monet and Alexander Calder. There is more artwork stored there than on display in the museum's galleries.
The museum is raising private funds for its renovations as well as receiving money from the city and state. This fall, the state announced it had allocated $25 million to the museum for its master plan. "We're confident we have everything ready to go," said Richard Tustin, the director of the city's Capital Program Office, which works with the museum on building projects. "We've been in constant communication with the fire marshals." Most of the basement is not open to the public. Level B also has storage for the museum gift shop, electrical rooms, an auditorium, and a cafeteria. About 30 percent of Level B, used for museum shop storage, already has sprinklers. An additional 14 percent has a fire-suppression system using halon, an odorless, colorless gas. The rest has no fire- suppression system. The types of materials found on Level B - oil paintings, wood, cloth and paper - mean that if a fire started there, it would find plenty of fuel.
The vastness of the basement and the scarcity of windows make any fire there a high risk for firefighters. Without windows, there is no place for smoke and heat to escape to. Museum officials had hoped to use a combination of water and gas suppression systems in Level B. Some curators fear water accidentally being discharged from sprinklers - as happened during a Philadelphia Orchestra rehearsal at the Kimmel Center last week. But firefighters do not believe gas is as effective as water in putting out the type of fire that could break out in the museum storage, and the regional fire board pushed the museum to install a water system in the entire basement. This fall, the museum tested its current halon fire-suppression system in parts of Level B and made improvements to make it more effective, said Chief Richard Bailey of the city's fire-code unit. The design work will start this month and last through August. The city will then seek bids and choose a firm by mid-December. Construction will start in March 2004 and end in December. A huge complication for the museum is what to do with all the art in the basement while the work takes place. Some artwork, said the museum's chief operating officer, Gail M. Harrity, is simply too fragile to move. So it will have to be protected in place. Some works will be moved to a different location in the museum. The rest will moved off-site. Harrity said moving the art from the museum and then back would cost $2 million. The museum will also need to pay for storage in a secure, climate-controlled facility, she said. "This is complex," she said. "When one moves art, you crate it, you assess it for its ability to move, you create a specialized packaging for the move to limit the risk of any damage... . This is not like moving your house."
http://www.philly.com/