Lost Art: The Art Loss Register Casebook Volume One

by Anja Shortland

Countless dollars of art are stolen or looted every year, yet governments often consider art theft a luxury problem. With limited public law enforcement, what prevents thieves, looters and organised criminal gangs from flooding the market with stolen art? How can theft victims get justice – even decades after their loss? What happens if the legal definition of a good title is at odds with what is morally right? Enter the Art Loss Register, a private database dedicated to tracking down stolen artworks. Blocking the sale of disputed artworks creates a space for private resolutions – often amicable and sometimes entertainingly adversarial. This book is based on ten cases from the Art Loss Register's archive, showing how restitutions were negotiated, how priceless objects were retrieved from the economic underworld and how thieves and fences end up in court and behind bars. A fascinating guide to the dark side of the global art market.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

384 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2021

Reviews

[Kevin Postlewaite · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting stories but mostly blandly written and often sounding like propaganda for the Art Loss Register.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another book I heard about on EconTalk - my favorite weekly podcast. The author, Anja Shortland, is a Professor of Political Economy and this book is on the economics of the art market and, specifically, art theft. It focuses on interesting cases that have gone through the Art Loss Register (ALR), a private company that keeps a database of stolen art, antiquities, and other valuables. The whole idea of the enterprise is that art and valuables theft can become much less lucrative if you incentivize buyers to have 'clean title' i.e. knowledge of how the art got from the artists through different buyers and to the present day. Gaps in that provenance or murky spots (i.e. disappearing during Nazi-occupied Europe) can now make art much less valuable. These stories of how ALR fostered this value for clean title and handles individual cases when disputes arise are fascinating. Also, my descriptions here may sound dry, but parts of this read like compelling mysteries and thrillers. It's a fascinating book.

Just to whet your appetite, here's a passage from the chapter on stolen Nazi artwork that hits on the brilliance of ALR:
"The great advantage of the ALR's historic claims database is that it is generally consulted when a sale is imminent. At this state, the legal owners have already decided to part with the object. They are less likely to be emotionally attached than when a restitution request comes out of the blue. The owners are not being asked to give up something that brings joy into their daily lives or has pride of place in their personal collection. At the point of sale, they are thinking of the object in monetary terms. If the object has gone up in value since they bought it or they inherited it, they may well be prepared to share the gain with former owners or their heirs, and begin to restore their faith in humankind. If not, they can keep the looted object as a reminder of the anguish of its former owners: a memento mori of a different sort. I can see why most people decide that an amicable and fair resolution is a better outcome."

[David Pickett · Rating 4 out of 5]

And excellent, well researched and most importantly, entertaining book featuring tales from the Art Loss Register. My only critisism is in the last chapter, 'Conclusion', which reads like a sales presentation for the ALR. The book would, in my opinion have been stronger without it. That being said, I am looking forward to Volume 2.

[Zac Barson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really interesting stories but the writing was so uninspiring. Also hadn’t been proofread well there was literal double printed words? Oop

[Paul J · Rating 4 out of 5]

About the Art Loss Register and it’s role in the art resale markets including provenance research, negotiating outcomes when property rights are ambiguous or troublesome, and how private solutions to tricky problems emerge when there are gaps in laws or their enforcement.

These issues are brought to life through a fascinating set of case studies about attempts to sell masterpieces worth tens of millions, looted holocaust art, historical antiquities, antique furniture and high-end watches. Organized crime and it’s willing accomplices are featured throughout. They have a long history of benefiting from illicit trading in art but are beginning to encounter organized resistance from the ALR, insurance companies, reputable auction houses and other resellers. Equally important are evolving cultural norms that make such trades both more difficult and distasteful.

The Blockchain was mentioned in passing at the end of the book and while it this technology is still in its nascent phases, would have been great to have a chapter on its potential application to these issues. Also would have appreciated stories that didn’t include the ALR. At times feels like her book was commissioned by the ALR