"Art Of The Heist"
Who doesn’t love a good art heist? They are abeloved Hollywood genre these days, filled with twists and turns. Televisionshows like Hustle and Sherlock, and films like Ocean’s 8(2018), The Thomas Crown Affair (1999), and The Monuments Men (2014)continually destroy the box office. The criminal genius decides what they wantto steal, when they’ll steal it, and exactly how they’re going to do it. Theybreeze past iron-clad security systems, crack unbreakable safes, and cleverlysneak away with priceless artworks. And we’re completely, and utterly fascinatedwith it.
Yet, for many art lovers, an art heist film isa way to see their favorite artworks on the big screen for the first - or only- time. It’s no question, these debonair dealers wearing expensive suits,peering over their glasses at a Van Gogh to proclaim its beauty, appeal to us.The witty and clever nature of this genre appeals to our lush and opulentfantasies.
One of my favourite – albeit perplexing – artheist tales was an episode of Hustle. The team snatched a painting inplain sight, in the middle of the day. They simply erected a curtain in frontof the actual gallery wall from which the painting hung. So seamlessly did theyovercome the extreme measures put in place by the gallery that prided itself onits “maximum security.” To be fair, these people are a sophisticated andtrained band of con artists who could do these kinds of tricks in their sleep.Yet, it’s important to remember this is simply a television show. Writers canmake their characters as suave as they want and can clearly forgo any sense ofreality.
But, instead of watching this genre withpopcorn and a soda, these films and television shows can have the power to doso much more. Despite seeming like a devastating blow to the field byglamorizing the idea of cultural heritage loss, they can actually educate thefine art world and benefit the global art market.
Hear me out.
These movies allow for the consideration ofhow to secure and display art for the future. They force us to confront why weappreciate art, and how we value it. We appreciate the forger and themanipulator, as much as the master painter. When it comes to discussing art,both the figurative and literal meaning and value can vary greatly from personto person. Yet, once a piece of art is stolen, it’s gone for everyone, nomatter your opinion on it.
As such, museums and art galleries have aduty to maintain whatever culture they hold for generations of visitors tocome. Sure, some museums appeal to us because it’s a way to get out of thehouse, or even skip a class. But on a more serious note, they force us toconsider authenticity. Pieces of art stolen from galleries are often replacedwith a forged replica. It begs us to question, what if what we’re seeing ingalleries is in fact inauthentic? What if I told you that 20% of art in majorgalleries in the United Kingdom are fake? Does that change your perspective onthe art gallery? Does it change your relationship to art?
This isn’t just a trend in the film or museumworld. Educational programs are being developed to study this field, such asthe University of Glasgow’s online postgraduate certificate in AntiquitiesTrafficking and Art Crime. ARCA, or the Association for Research into CrimesAgainst Art, boasts a postgraduate course in Art Crime and Cultural HeritageProtection in Italy every summer. With both programs, students have theopportunity to study important theoretical and practical elements related toart and heritage crime, learning new skills to prevent such crimes fromoccurring in the future.
On the legal side, in 2004 the Federal Bureauof Investigation established a widely popular Art Crime Team. The unit iscomposed of 20 special agents, who are each responsible for addressing art andcultural property cases in an assigned geographic location. Since itsinception, the team has recovered more than 15,000 items valued at over $800million.
Ultimately, we can use art heist movies as a means to start a significant movement. We can use them to advocate for the return of stolen works of art, the security of art, and the prevention of future art crime - or else there may be no art left to enjoy.
This piece was written by Julia Ranney for issue XX, check it out here
