[MSN] Is Art being Stolen to Order?

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Is Art being Stolen to Order?        
Written by Sandra Hodgson and Mark Brassingto     
Wednesday, 20 June 2007 
 
Now we know that art is becoming mainstream, as theft is becoming the order
of the day, as thieves in hoodies target prints by Banksy the anonymous and
faceless graffiti artist. Then a few days later; the conviction of the
boyfriend of the Olympian Myriam Bйdard, for theft of paintings of the late
Ghitta Caiserman-Roth. Nima Mazhari was convicted on the 5th of June of
stealing the paintings worth $100,000. And in Milwaukee a Delacroix drawing
has

Art theft can hardly ever have seemed more fashionable than in this last
traumatic week. Nima Mazhari has been convicted of stealing work by Ghitta
Caiserman-Roth worth $100,000. A gang of youths called "hoodies" has made
off with Banksy prints from a theft in Brighton. And in Milwaukee a work by
Delacroix stolen some two years ago from a gallery in Milwauke has been
returned, by a man who says he found it in the trash!

As works become more popular and expensive thieves who previously would have
thought a Mondrian was a new alco-pop are unfortunately starting to take an
interest in some of the more popular works of art available today. The hype
of the anonymous Banksy have clearly increased visibility of his works to
such an extent that an exhibition of his work has been closed. Stuart
Hobday, Director said "It's a real shame that this exhibition is not going
ahead, but the risk of the art being stolen was fairly high and we
understand the concern raised by the owner of the works."

Because Banksy's works are graffiti they are often easier to steal than
traditional works, because of their public nature. Last year a work was cut
from a section of wall in Paddington and later auctioned on eBay for
Ј20,000. Murals were also ruined in Whitechapel last month when thieves
tried to chisel the works from the wall.

Mary Jane Ansell a figurative painter based a few doors away on the North
Laines has said; "Yes, the Artrepublic is very close to my studio, but I
don't know anyone involved: - honest!" She then continues to say that.
Banksy is a hugely popular artist locally and obviously his work is becoming
ever more attractive to investors and the public alike so no doubt there
will be a way to move them on easily, certainly I wouldn't be surprised if
they were stolen to order.

As there can never be doubt as to the authenticity of these works the issues
raised that there is a ready market for such works are huge. Whilst the
works may not actually be being sold on eBay there is clearly a market for
sale and even more importantly re-sale of such "known to be stolen" works.
This is important because if such a market did not exist works would not be
stolen in the first place.

Now that the Banksy show has been canceled at Norwich the question is now
being asked as to whether the publics' access to such works will now be
compromised. Of course these works will be seen again in public but the
necessary security barriers will surely damage the viewers' experience.
Further problems will also arise as city underwriters re-assess the already
punitive insurance premiums for such shows.

The conclusion though Mary Jane states is that in a perverse way it actually
illustrates how much more mainstream art is becoming these days and could
actually be encouraging for young artists wishing to make their name. The
fashionable cache of Banksy's work has been increased by the purchase of his
works by such celebrities as Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and Jude Law.

About the Author
Represented by: http://www.fairfaxgallery.com The article can be seen at:
http://www.art4aid.org.uk The authors are: Sandra Hodgson and Mark
Brassingto at http://www.gofour.co.uk (Email at: Admin at gofour.co.ukThis
e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript
enabled to view it ) 


from 
http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/entertainment/is-art-being-stolen-to
-order.html