September 3, 1999

CONTENTS:

Dealers hand over UKPounds:1m art to swindlers

SOME of the world's most respected dealers have been swindled out of paintings, prints and jewellery in an elaborate Italian-run art scam that involved works worth more than UKPounds:1 million. Prints by Dürer and Canaletto and paintings by Guardi and Geerards are among important works handed over to a couple of Italian conmen by more than a dozen unsuspecting gallery owners. Derek Johns, one of Britain's foremost specialists in Old Masters, is among those brave enough to admit to having been fooled: he was conned into losing a Guardi said to be worth more than UKPounds:57,000. Over the space of a few days in June, each dealer was duped into taking works of art to a 17th-century palazzo, after receiving a call from an Italian with an impressive knowledge of art. At a well-furnished flat - where some of the works left behind by other "victims" were displayed and where the aroma of brewing coffee added to the authentic touch - they were met by a young man posing as the son of a collector called "Mr Cenni": each were told a story about a grandmother dying in hospital to explain the father's absence. Each left behind the picture or object for approval. Some secured a sale, leaving with a cheque that later bounced; others were given a worthless signed receipt. The Italians, who had given a false name and address in renting out the palazzo for a week, then vanished with the art. Some of the dealers' visits took place within hours of each other.All the dealers had exhibited at the Maastricht Fine Arts Fair, an annual event that attracts some 60,000 buyers. Each dealer was called earlier this summer by an Italian who gave his name as Mr Cenni and expressed interest in specific artworks that he had seen at the Maastricht fair. The case is being investigated by Interpol. Sarah Jackson, historic claims director of the Art Loss Register, said: "I'm sure a number of these dealers are feeling fairly foolish. It's important that information is circulated about the thefts and the works of art." The Art Newspaper, published this week in London, Rome and Paris, details how Helmut Rumbler, a leading Frankfurt dealer, was duped into parting with rare prints by Dürer, Canaletto, Tiepolo and Lucas van Leyden worth nearly UKPounds:178,300. Another victim was Evert Douwes, the Amsterdam dealer, who lost Swags of Flowers, a UKPounds:44,500 picture by Jan van den Hecke, and A Nautilus Shell, a UKPounds:70,000 composition by Jasper Geerards. Some of the prints have already turned up on the London market, offered to a specialist dealer, Charles Mendez, who alerted the police as he had already been told of the swindle by another victim. Two men were arrested but, as the Art Newspaper reports, they were released after arguing that they had acquired the prints in good faith.

http://artnewspaper.com/homestolenart.htm

Artful dodger spills beans

Confession at dinner party draws attention to disappearance of painting from Parliament.

A BIZARRE confession at a highbrow dinner party has landed a prominent SA psychologist in court in connection with the theft of a precious international artwork from Parliament. The 54-year-old man, who cannot be named as he has yet to plead, is due to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court next week on a charge of theft. He is alleged to have strolled past security officials at Parliament in January last year with a painting estimated to be worth hundreds of thousands of rands tucked under his arm. The untitled painting, by Roy Lichtenstein, one of the 20th century's leading pop artists, was donated to former President Nelson Mandela in 1996, as part of the Art Against Apartheid collection which hung in Parliament for three years. The Sunday Times has established that for 10 months police and authorities at Parliament were unaware the painting had been removed - until October last year, when, at a dinner at a house in Tamboerskloof, Cape Town, the suspected thief found himself sitting next to Kathy Grundlingh, head of the curatorial department at the SA National Gallery. Grundlingh said this week: "The person, whom I had not met before . . . wanted me to guess which painting in the Art Against Apartheid collection was no longer there." Grundlingh said by the end of the evening she'd worked out which painting had been taken. The next day, when she and a colleague went to Parliament, they were stunned to find the Lichtenstein was indeed gone. At that stage, the gallery was busy with an inventory of the collection, which has since been replaced with works drawn from Contemporary SA Art 1985 to 1995, a collection reflecting a broad canvas of SA world views and artistic genres. Grundlingh said the man told her he had been so "aghast" at the manner in which the painting had been exhibited in a dark corridor somewhere "opposite a gent's toilet" that he had gone to Parliament on January 3 last year to remove it. "He told me he simply put the painting under his arm and walked out of the building," said Grundlingh, who alerted police. She later made a statement, which led to the psychologist's arrest several months later. Barry Feinberg , director of the University of the Western Cape's Mayibuye Centre, custodians of the Art Against Apartheid collection, said that while the man's actions may have been motivated by his apparent appreciation of art and anger over the painting being hidden away in a dark corridor, his "act of thievery" could not be condoned. It is hoped the court hearing will lead to the painting's recovery, said Grundlingh. Lichtenstein, who died in 1997, donated his painting to the United Nations-sponsored collection as a show of solidarity against apartheid by international artists. Said Feinberg: "The collection went on a tour of about 30 cities, but it was always the intention that a democratic postapartheid South Africa would be its final resting place." Captain Andre Traut, a police spokesman in the Western Cape, on Friday initially refused to give information about the case, describing it as "highly sensitive". The Police Endangered Species Unit in Pretoria initially put the value of the Lichtenstein, which it listed as an abstract painting by an unknown artist, at R500 000. However, Feinberg said a subsequent valuation put the figure at between R200 000 and R300 000. Traut later confirmed the case, saying the suspect had "gained entrance to Parliament through the normal
http://www.suntimes.co.za/1999/08/29/news/news06.htm

Ancient Xi'an altar is found then buried for lack of funds

ARCHAEOLOGISTS in China's ancient capital have found the country's oldest Buddhist altar hidden between washing lines and a football pitch. However, after its excavation earlier this summer, the religious site has been reburied and may never be seen again. The Altar of Heaven in Xi'an was built 1,400 years ago near the famous Terracotta Warriors and is one of China's most important treasures. An Jiayao, an archaeologist who worked on the excavation, said: "This is an historic breakthrough. The Altar of Heaven is 1,000 years older than the oldest previously known Buddhist altar in China." Yet Ms An and her team were forced to rebury the altar only weeks after uncovering it because they lacked the funds to build a permanent display. Instead of opening it to the public, the archaeologists could only protect the altar under a mound of earth. While the state withdraws from many areas of public life as part of China's reform process, a great archaeological tragedy is being played out. Thousands of treasures remain hidden because private groups and universities lack the means to excavate and display them. State funds have been cut off and rural communities are too poor to finance archaeological work. Ms An said: "We hope the altar will one day be open to the public. It is a shame but money is a real problem." The Altar of Heaven is located in a suburb of Xi'an and is made of earth rather than stone. Buddhist belief during the 6th century Sui Dynasty suggested that man should never try to outdo nature and therefore religious sites must not be elaborate. The fact that not a single stone, nail or beam was used to build the altar makes preservation work more difficult. The altar has a 50-metre diameter and is as high as a three-storey building. It is round, conforming to the ancient Chinese belief that heaven is round and the earth is square. Access to the top of the altar was restricted to the emperor, who had to walk barefoot. He was allowed to visit this most sacred of religious sites only a few times in his life. Today, the altar is covered by several layers of protective soil. During the few weeks since it was covered over again, grass and bushes have repossessed the site. Xi'an was China's capital for about 3,000 years and is famous for its cultural relics. The city is China's most popular tourist destination after Beijing and Shanghai. It is said to be on a par with Rome and Athens in terms of its historical significance. During the Sui Dynasty (581-618 AD), Xi'an was the world's most developed city, according to Chinese experts. It is covered by historical sites, many of which are only provisionally restored; many more are believed to be hidden.
http://www.the-times.co.uk/

Re: storage of old records and recording tape

I am writing on behalf of the Museo de Culturas Populares in Mexico City. They have a big collection of old records and recording tapes that contain invaluable music of the different ethnic groups in this country. We would like to know how to keep them in storage and what kind of special care should be taken to conserve them adecuately. I hope that by means of this fantastic web you run we can get some advice.
Best wishes
Magdalena Morales

Looking for information! (painting may have come from a museum)

Stolen artwork (suspect: Joseph Michael Killebrew)

Jammers' Einsicht und Seligmanns Bücher

Aus einer Pressemitteilung des Laurentius Verlags vom 02.09.1999

Inhalt:

Object ID 1999 update

Object ID has been given a new home at the Council for the Prevention of Art Theft (CoPAT). At a meeting in London on 1 July the Getty Information Institute announced that CoPAT would be taking over the international collaborative project.
Established in 1992 and now a registered charity, CoPAT’s mission is to promote crime prevention in the fields of art, antiques, antiquities and architecture. Members CoPAT committees are drawn from the law-enforcement community, experts in various aspects of crime prevention, heritage organizations, historic house owners, the insurance industry, and the art trade.
CoPAT has been involved in the project from an early stage, playing a significant role in the development of Object ID, and being one of the first organisations to formally endorse the standard.
For more information see:
COPAT http://www.thesaurus.co.uk/023348.CUS/index.htm

Stolen Art

Stolen Bells Reappear On Rectory Doorsteps

But man who says he bought them disappears

Cambodia museum hung up over bats in the belfry