December 2006    

Museum of the Missing: A History of Art Theft Author: Simon Houpt Publisher: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. $24.95 Cloth (192 P.) ISBN: 1402728298 ISBN-13: 9781402728297 B&T         YBP This book stood out among the many art titles I see throughout the course of the year for two reasons. For one, it is interesting beyond the art itself. Beauty and intrigue all wrapped into one convenient package, and it's real. Secondly, for me personally, the book hits close to home. During my high school days in the early 1980s I fell in love with three paintings at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, "The Concert" by Johannes Vermeer, and two Rembrandts, "Storm on the Sea of Galilee", and "A Lady and Gentleman in Black". I returned to the museum often and these works were always like old friends. These works were among seven stolen from the museum in early 1990 during the city's festive annual St. Patrick's Day celebrations. Shortly afterward, I returned sadly to see three darker rectangles on the walls where the paintings had hung, the surrounding area faded by time since items at the Gardner are rarely moved. These works have never been recovered, and their story appears in this book. According to Interpol, 20,000 works of art are missing, and one would have to assume that this only accounts for those still being investigated. Cold cases abound, and thousands of works disappeared at the hands of the Nazis alone during World War II. Houpt not only covers the stories behind these lost masterpieces, but delves into the minds of collectors who drive the illicit art market, as well as covering the investigative techniques of the world's police agencies. Not always pretty, many works are stolen to finance other crimes such as illegal drugs and weapons. It is no wonder that the internet has become a tool for quick transfer of stolen art and artifacts, but Houpt explains it has also helped make illicit attempts at sale that much more transparent to authorities. Entire databases of stolen art information with images are available to the public for sharing of information hoping to lead to the recovery of works and to the arrest of the perpetrators. Houpt also give coverage to the variety of new techniques employed by museums to protect their collections. This includes methods as simple as bullet-proof glass, to elaborate computerized mechanical locking systems. The book is well illustrated in color and black and white providing existing images of various works. Later in the book, Houpt has compiled a "Gallery of Missing Art" complete with information on the date and details of each theft along with estimated current value on the market. In many cases, the works are merely listed as "priceless". The title of this book instantly makes me wonder exactly what sort of museum collection it would be if all of these works were suddenly recovered and housed together for the world to see. In at least some instances, works have been recreated to replace those stolen. Most notably, the Amber Room in St. Petersburg, previously dismantled by the Nazis and never recovered after World War II. One happy ending not making the book in time for publishing is news that the second version of Edvard Munch's "Scream" stolen in 2004 was recently recovered by Oslo police along with another of his stolen works. Simon Houpt is the Arts and Culture columnist for The Globe and Mail. - Jonathan Colcord Published by YBP Library Services 999 Maple St., Contoocook, NH 03229 USA v: 800.258.3774   f: 603.746.5628 w: www.ybp.com   e: academia@ybp.com All rights reserved.