Art Crimes

A version of Andy Warhol's Mao that's similar to the print owned by Orange Coast College

Andy Warhol 'Mao' Print Vanishes From a California College's Vault

The 1972 artwork, which the school had never publicly displayed, is worth an estimated $50,000

Some said the pirate king went to ground in London or Scotland, others that he died penniless and was buried in an unmarked grave in Devon. Or was he sipping fine French wine in the hills above Marseille?

The Notorious Pirate King Who Vanished With the Riches of a Mughal Treasure Ship

In the late 17th century, Henry Avery—the subject of the first global manhunt—bribed his way into the Bahamas

Wooden boards and plastic screens surround Banksy's latest confirmed artwork in London.

Someone Vandalized Banksy's New Mural in London. Now, It's Been Covered Up

The coverings were added to protect the art, but critics worry they detract from the artist's intentions

The Louvre received a bomb threat targeting valuable paintings, including the Mona Lisa, earlier this month.

Louvre Receives Bomb Threat Against 'Mona Lisa' and Other Masterpieces

The message came in through the museum's online contact form on March 17

Collector Michael Shaw was presented with the slippers he purchased in 1970 in a ceremony at the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

Two Decades After They Were Stolen, Dorothy's Ruby Slippers Returned to the Scene of the Crime. Will They Stay There?

Federal investigators have handed over the shoes to their rightful owner, who plans to sell them at auction later this year

The statue was discovered in two pieces, one much older than the other, near Burghley House in Lincolnshire.

Construction Worker Stumbles Upon Mysterious Roman Statue Hidden Beneath a Parking Lot in England

Found near a lavish historic estate, the nearly 2,000-year-old artifact has baffled researchers

Two of the suspects allegedly had “knowledge of the art world” and created fake certificates of authenticity to accompany the forged artworks.

Spanish Police Shut Down a Crime Ring Accused of Selling Fake Banksy Artworks

The suspects allegedly recreated the famous street artist's work using spray paint and cardboard to rake in over $10,000

A video posted on social media shows a woman spraying red paint on the portrait, then cutting it with a handheld tool.

Pro-Palestinian Activists Damage Balfour Portrait at Cambridge University

The 1917 Balfour Declaration was a pivotal declaration of British support for a "national home for the Jewish people"

Musician Don Henley leaving the Manhattan court on February 28, 2024

Don Henley of the Eagles Testifies That 'Very Personal' Handwritten Lyrics Were Stolen

The musician learned about the alleged theft when the drafts started appearing at auctions in 2012

Protesters with the activist group Last Generation stand in front of Sandro Botticelli's The Birth of Venus at Florence's Uffizi Gallery on February 13. 

Climate Activists Stage Protest in Front of Botticelli's 'Birth of Venus'

Two men taped images of flooding in Tuscany to the Renaissance painting's protective glass

Artist and Shaman Between Two Worlds, Norval Morrisseau, 1980, shows the artist’s signature style: bold colors and a surreal sense of his subjects’ inner lives.

Inside the Biggest Art Fraud in History

A decades-long forgery scheme ensnared Canada’s most famous Indigenous artist, a rock musician turned sleuth and several top museums. Here's how investigators unraveled the incredible scam

Eve, Marc Chagall, 1971

Stolen Chagall Print Recovered Months After Thieves Stuffed It Into a 1996 Honda and Sped Away

Detectives have arrested two suspects involved in the dramatic heist at a New York City gallery

A gold Asante necklace was among the items turned over to British forces in 1874.

Los Angeles Museum Returns Artifacts to Ghana That Were Taken by British Forces in 1874

Museum officials traveled to the city of Kumasi to return the objects on the 150th anniversary of their seizure

The recovered pair of ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz

Thief Who Stole Dorothy's Ruby Slippers Avoids Prison

Terry Martin has been sentenced to one year of supervised release for swiping the iconic "Wizard of Oz" shoes from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005

Measuring 40 by 50 inches, The Schoolmistress (circa 1784) had belonged to physician Earl Leroy Wood. Officials returned it to his son, Francis Wood, on January 11.

Stolen by Mobsters 54 Years Ago, This 18th-Century Painting Was Just Returned to Its Rightful Owners

Authorities presented "The Schoolmistress" to 96-year-old Francis Wood, the owner’s son, last month

Protesters throw soup at the Mona Lisa's protective glass covering at the Louvre on January 28.

Climate Activists Throw Soup at the 'Mona Lisa'

Protected by bulletproof glass, Leonardo da Vinci’s famous masterpiece was not harmed

Pablo Picasso's Tête is one of two paintings involved in a $900,000 art heist.

Picasso and Chagall Paintings Found in Antwerp Basement—14 Years After They Vanished

Police conducted a months-long operation to recover the works, which had been stolen from their owner's home in 2010

Italian junior culture minister and art critic Vittorio Sgarbi faces pressure to resign following accusations.

Italian Minister Accused of Owning Stolen 17th-Century Painting

Vittorio Sgarbi is under investigation for laundering an artwork that vanished from a castle over a decade ago

Camille Pissarro's Rue Saint-Honoré in the Afternoon, Effect of Rain (1897) hangs at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid.

Court Rules Against Returning Nazi-Looted Pissarro Painting to Jewish Family

Sold in exchange for exit visas in 1939, the estimated $30 million masterpiece will stay at a Spanish museum

The Everhart Museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where prosecutors allege suspects stole Andy Warhol’s La Grande Passion and Jackson Pollock’s Springs Winter in 2005

Final Suspect in 20-Year Art Heist Case Turns Himself In

Nicholas Dombek is one of nine individuals accused of stealing millions of dollars worth of artwork, sports memorabilia and cultural artifacts

Page 1 of 14