Thursday, September 18, 2014

Anthony Amore and The Concert by Vermeer

Anthony Amore, by Travis Simpkins. The Concert, by Vermeer

Anthony Amore,

Chief Investigator and Director of Security

at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

by Travis Simpkins.

and

The Concert.

by Johannes Vermeer.

Stolen on March 18, 1990

To report information on the Gardner Museum theft,

contact Anthony Amore by email at:

theft@gardnermuseum.org

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

CCTV: Opportunistic thief tries to steal painting from gallery by shoving it in his hoodie...

Hardly The Thomas Crown Affair! Opportunistic thief tries to steal large painting from gallery by shoving it in his hoodie... then walks out with it under his arm

CCTV shows would-be art thief walk into a gallery in Birmingham
Video shows him casually plucking piece of valuable art from wall
He then tucks it under his arm and saunters towards the exit
Birmingham Police are now hunting the opportunistic would-be thief

By AMANDA WILLIAMS FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 03:56 EST, 17 September 2014 | UPDATED: 04:52 EST, 17 September 2014

As heists go, it was hardly the scheme of the century.

CCTV footage has caught the moment a would-be art thief walked into a gallery in Birmingham, before casually plucking a piece of valuable First World War art from the wall.

Having perhaps not thought the robbery through properly, the video shows the opportunistic thief trying to stuff the large painting under his hooded jumper, before giving up and tucking it under his arm and sauntering towards the exit.

Scroll down for video

CCTV footage has caught the moment a would-be art thief walked into a gallery in Birmingham, before casually plucking a piece of valuable World War One art from the wall

The footage shows him walking around the gallery before casually pulling at a painting to see if it is attached to the wall

The video shows him trying to stuff the large painting under his hooded jumper

Unfortunately for him staff spotted the large frame under his arms has he tried to make his way out of the museum doors.

More...

The attempted theft happened just before 5pm on Sunday 17 August in Castle Fine Art Gallery on Broad Street.

The moment bungling thief ties to hide painting in his hoodie

The would-be thief then tries the painting another way, again, with no success

He then gives up and tucks it under his arm. The attempted theft happened just before 5pm on Sunday 17 August in Castle Fine Art Gallery on Broad Street

Unfortunately for him staff spotted the large frame under his arms has he tried to make his way out of the museum doors

Investigating officer, PC Patrick Higgins said: 'The thief was quite optimistic in his attempts to conceal the artwork, valued at several hundred pounds, but fortunately he made off empty handed.

'We are now keen to identify the man in the CCTV to prevent him from turning his attention to smaller objects.'

Police are appealing for anyone who recognises the man to call 101 or alternatively information can be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

As heists go, it was hardly comparable to the Thomas Crown Affair, the film about a millionaire businessman playboy who sets up a heist to steal priceless art from a museum

Research: Worcester Art Museum "Then and Now" by Travis Simpkins. Update #7

-The first photo, from 1970, shows a group of dancers that are clearly enjoying themselves, caught in mid cavort, on the Antioch Hunt Mosaic at the Worcester Art Museum. While the sight of people boogieing or performing on the 1,500 year old tesserae might seem cringe-inducing to current sensibilities, photos show that various events took place right on top of the artwork up through the 1980's. The photographs, when viewed in timeline sequence, are interesting because they illustrate a gradual shift in conservation awareness. Here, in 1970, folks are allowed free reign on the tiles. By the late 1970's, dancing was still allowed, but the mosaic was covered. By the 1990's, the railing was up and access was restricted.
-At first glance, the second photo, taken a decade ago in the American Decorative Arts Gallery, might not look any different than the view today. However, take note of the light around the edge of the ceiling in the 2004 photo. That's natural light. A thin skylight, installed when the fourth floor was added on in 1940, used to run around the perimeter of the room. Sporadic leaks, various safety concerns and logistical problems led to the skylight being sealed and covered in early 2005.

-The sketch is of the elegant mid 19th Century Neoclassical statue of "Flora", that until recently, was on display in Salisbury Hall.