".....Zigerlig mentioned the importance of registering stolen art with databases such as Fine Art Registry. In fact, tagging and registering all of one’s artwork before obtaining insurance is an absolute must as it will reduce the risk of loss and increase the chances for recovery. Carriers who recognize the value of the Fine Art Registry system and its many additional benefits ideally should offer their clients a discount on premiums because the risk to them is much less than for insuring art that has not been tagged and registered with FAR^®."

"Edvard Munch’s paintings The Scream and The Madonna were not insured against theft when they were stolen in Norway (since recovered). In the U.S., the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston did not insure its still missing 13 masterpieces, valued at 5 hundred million dollars, when they were stolen 17 years ago. Like the Munch paintings they were insured for loss and damage, but not theft. While these are more high profile, high value pieces, it does underlie the importance of insuring beyond just loss and damage. Insuring against theft should be included in any insurance plan."

(What Happens After Stolen Artwork is Recovered By Anayat Durrani)

RECOVERED 3rd February 2010

The Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict adopted at The Hague (Netherlands) in 1954

The Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict adopted at The Hague (Netherlands) in 1954 in the wake of massive destruction of cultural heritage during the Second World War is the first international treaty with a world-wide vocation focusing exclusively on the protection of cultural heritage in the event of armed conflict.

It covers immovable and movable cultural heritage, including monuments of architecture, art or history, archaeological sites, works of art, manuscripts, books and other objects of artistic, historical or archaeological interest, as well as scientific collections of all kinds regardless of their origin or ownership.

The States that are party to the Convention benefit from the mutual commitment of more than 115 States with a view to sparing cultural heritage from consequences of possible armed conflicts through the implementation of the following measures:

• Adoption of peacetime safeguarding measures such as THE PREPARATION OF INVENTORIES, the planning of emergency measures for protection against fire or structural collapse, the preparation for the removal of movable cultural property or the provision for adequatein situ protection of such property, and the designation of competent authorities responsible for the safeguarding of cultural property;
• Respect for cultural property situated within their own territory as well as within the territory of other States Parties by refraining from any use of the property and its immediate surroundings or of the appliances in use for its protection for purposes likely to expose it to destruction or damage in the event of armed conflict; and by refraining from any act of hostility directed against such property;
• Consideration of the possibility of registering a limited number of refuges, monumental centres and other immovable cultural property of very great importance in the International Register of Cultural Property under Special Protection in order to obtain special protection for such property;
• Consideration of the possibility of marking of certain important buildings and monuments with a distinctive emblem of the Convention;
• Establishment of special units within the military forces to be responsible for the protection of cultural property;
• Sanctions for breaches of the Convention; and,
• Wide promotion of the Convention within the general public and target groups such as cultural heritage professionals, the military or law-enforcement agencies.

Learn more about the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.

FOLLOW THIS EXTRAORDINARY TALE

PARIS - Works by Pablo Picasso and Henri Rousseau have been stolen from a private villa in the south of France, in the country’s second big art robbery in less than a week. Police this weekend confirmed that some 30 works of art had been taken from the home of a private collector in the Provencal village of La Cadière d’Azur, in a haul reportedly worth at least €1m ($1.44m, £890,000).

The latest raid comes just days after thieves lifted the small pastel, Les Choristes (The Choir Singers), by impressionist Edgar Degas, from the Cantini Museum in Marseilles.

A person close to the inquiry told the Financial Times that it was still too early to say whether the two thefts were linked. But the incidents highlight deep concern in France over the illegal trade in works of art. A Modigliani initially believed to be part of the haul has since been found, police in Toulon said. The villa's French owner was holidaying in Sweden at the time of the break-in, which was discovered by the caretaker on Thursday afternoon.

Police last month uncovered a well-established and sophisticated criminal network operating at the heart of France’s respected auction house, Drouot. An auctioneer and eight commission agents, members of an elite corps from the Savoie region of south-east France, have been placed under formal investigation for organised theft.

A masterpiece by Gustave Courbet, the French realist painter, which was reported stolen in 2004, was among the treasures discovered in a police raid on Drouot warehouses and employees’ homes.

The latest theft remains shrouded in mystery, however. The owner is due to return from Sweden to take an inventory of the missing items, after which the true value of the works stolen could be established, the person close to the inquiry added.

It is believed the thieves broke into the property on Wednesday night or Thursday morning. The raid was discovered by a caretaker. A painting by Amedeo Modigliani, initially feared missing, was later found in the house, according to comments by the regional prosecutor’s office made in the Le Monde newspaper.

The investigation is being carried out by officials in nearby Marseilles, while the government’s Central Office for the Fight against Traffic in Cultural Goods is investigating the theft of the Degas painting. Les Choristes, valued at up to €800,000, is also thought to have been stolen on Wednesday – without triggering an alarm – and was discovered when the museum opened for business on Thursday.

The painting was on loan from the Musée d’Orsay in Paris for an exhibition in Marseilles which was due to close next Sunday, before travelling on to Italy and Canada.

Published: January 3 2010 18:12 | Last updated: January 3 2010 18:12 / Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010.

Art crime represents the third highest grossing criminal enterprise worldwide, behind only drugs and arms trafficking. It brings in $2-6 billion per year, most of which goes to fund international organized crime syndicates. Most art crime since the 1960s is perpetrated either by, or on behalf of, international organized crime syndicates.* They either use stolen art for resale, or to barter on a closed black market for an equivalent value of goods or services. Individually instigated art crimes are rare, and art crimes perpetrated for private collectors are rarest of all. One of the greatest problems is that neither the general public, nor government officials, realize the severity of art crime. Art crime funds all organized crime enterprises, including terrorism. And yet it is often dismissed as a victimless crime, because it is not understood. Italy has by far the most art crime, with approximately 20,000 art thefts reported each year. Russia has the second most, with approximately 2000 art thefts reported per year. Italy is the only country whose government takes art crime as seriously as it should. Italy’s Carabinieri are by far the most successful art squad worldwide, employing over 300 agents full time. Other countries have had great success with their art squads, despite lack of governmental support, while many countries do not have a single officer dedicated to art crime, the third largest criminal enterprise worldwide. -------------------- Art Crime Facts: (Facts compiled from sources including Interpol, the FBI, Scotland Yard, Carabinieri, independent research and ARCA projects.) 142,258 Number of Forged Works of Art Recovered in Italy in 2001 20,000-30,000 Number of Reported Art Thefts per Year in Italy 845,838 Number of Reported Art Thefts in Italy since 1969 $6-8 billion Estimate of Annual Criminal Income through Art Crime (NOTE: this only covers known crimes—a greater percentage of crime go undiscovered, making this a low estimate) 3rd Highest-Grossing Criminal Trade over last 40 years (behind only Drugs and Arms)* 1961 The year in which Organized Crime first became proactively involved in art crime. Since then most art crime is perpetrated by, or on behalf of, Organized Crime, thereby fueling their other activities, including the drug and arms trades and terrorism. Art Crime Funds Terrorism The IRA are just the most obvious example, but art crime, particularly the trade in illicit antiquities, is a funding source for fundamentalist terrorists in the North Africa and Middle East. $300-500 million Estimated value of artworks stolen during one night from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. 0 Number of Art Police Employed by Most Countries 50,000 Minimum Number of Reported Art Thefts Worldwide Each Year The United States The World’s Primary Art Consumer, For Both Legitimate and Illicit Goods 1 The number of research groups studying art crime in all its forms: ARCA ------------------- *This information is agreed upon by a variety of reliable sources, including the US Department of Justice:http://www.justice.gov/usncb/programs/cultural_property_program.php http://www.artcrime.info/facts.htm