True Crime in the Art World
Is art crime as glamorous as it seems in fiction? We take a look...
January 12, 2022
The art market is one that is subject to crime more than most, largely due to it being one of the hardest markets to regulate due the paucity in the regulation framework and the cunning minds that navigate it. Art crime is often romanticised and has inspired such popular fiction as series White Collar and novel The Goldfinch. But not all art thievery, forgery and so on is as seductive and sleek as these multimedia pieces have suggested. Who have been the recent high-profile perpetrators in the underbelly of the art world crime scene?
Michael Steinhardt
Art crime is often associated with the privileged and the white-collars and, while this characterisation may not always be entirely correct, it describes the following perpetrator quite well. Michael Steinhardt, a retired hedge fund billionaire, had to surrender 180 stolen items worth $70 million, but will face no criminal charges, provided all artefacts are returned and that Mr Steinhardt ceases antiquity collection forever.
Christian Rosa
Christian Rosa was once a rising star in the art world, but his rapidly prospering career was dashed when it came to light that he had been selling inauthentic paintings and forging the signature of Raymond Pettibon. Not only did he swindle investors and buyers of hundreds of thousands of dollars, but also risked his supposed friend and mentor’s legacy. After fleeing the US in February 2021 after his jig was up, an Instagram in December by Rosa's girlfriend gave away their location and has been charged with “selling multiple forged paintings by contemporary artist Raymond Pettibon” according to the US Attorney Damian Williams’ twitter.
Thomas Gavin
Perhaps the most interesting story of all in the art crime world is that of Thomas Gavin, possibly one of the most prolific artefact thieves to date to finally reveal his crimes. It is unclear how many items the now 78-year-old Gavin stole during his thieving days in the 60s and 70s. As his crimes were not discovered until 2018 when he attempted to unload a rare, revolution era rifle, the majority of his supposed targets no longer exist and most of the statutes of limitations on the items stolen have expired. At the end of 2021, Gavin plead guilty to one crime and, due to his declining health, was sentenced to one day in prison despite decades of theft. Now that his history is becoming public knowledge, I spy an Indiana Jones-eque art crime thriller in development on Netflix.
The art market is one that is subject to crime more than most, largely due to it being one of the hardest markets to regulate due the paucity in the regulation framework and the cunning minds that navigate it. Art crime is often romanticised and has inspired such popular fiction as series White Collar and novel The Goldfinch. But not all art thievery, forgery and so on is as seductive and sleek as these multimedia pieces have suggested. Who have been the recent high-profile perpetrators in the underbelly of the art world crime scene?
Michael Steinhardt
Art crime is often associated with the privileged and the white-collars and, while this characterisation may not always be entirely correct, it describes the following perpetrator quite well. Michael Steinhardt, a retired hedge fund billionaire, had to surrender 180 stolen items worth $70 million, but will face no criminal charges, provided all artefacts are returned and that Mr Steinhardt ceases antiquity collection forever.
Christian Rosa
Christian Rosa was once a rising star in the art world, but his rapidly prospering career was dashed when it came to light that he had been selling inauthentic paintings and forging the signature of Raymond Pettibon. Not only did he swindle investors and buyers of hundreds of thousands of dollars, but also risked his supposed friend and mentor’s legacy. After fleeing the US in February 2021 after his jig was up, an Instagram in December by Rosa's girlfriend gave away their location and has been charged with “selling multiple forged paintings by contemporary artist Raymond Pettibon” according to the US Attorney Damian Williams’ twitter.
Thomas Gavin
Perhaps the most interesting story of all in the art crime world is that of Thomas Gavin, possibly one of the most prolific artefact thieves to date to finally reveal his crimes. It is unclear how many items the now 78-year-old Gavin stole during his thieving days in the 60s and 70s. As his crimes were not discovered until 2018 when he attempted to unload a rare, revolution era rifle, the majority of his supposed targets no longer exist and most of the statutes of limitations on the items stolen have expired. At the end of 2021, Gavin plead guilty to one crime and, due to his declining health, was sentenced to one day in prison despite decades of theft. Now that his history is becoming public knowledge, I spy an Indiana Jones-eque art crime thriller in development on Netflix.
The art market is one that is subject to crime more than most, largely due to it being one of the hardest markets to regulate due the paucity in the regulation framework and the cunning minds that navigate it. Art crime is often romanticised and has inspired such popular fiction as series White Collar and novel The Goldfinch. But not all art thievery, forgery and so on is as seductive and sleek as these multimedia pieces have suggested. Who have been the recent high-profile perpetrators in the underbelly of the art world crime scene?
Michael Steinhardt
Art crime is often associated with the privileged and the white-collars and, while this characterisation may not always be entirely correct, it describes the following perpetrator quite well. Michael Steinhardt, a retired hedge fund billionaire, had to surrender 180 stolen items worth $70 million, but will face no criminal charges, provided all artefacts are returned and that Mr Steinhardt ceases antiquity collection forever.
Christian Rosa
Christian Rosa was once a rising star in the art world, but his rapidly prospering career was dashed when it came to light that he had been selling inauthentic paintings and forging the signature of Raymond Pettibon. Not only did he swindle investors and buyers of hundreds of thousands of dollars, but also risked his supposed friend and mentor’s legacy. After fleeing the US in February 2021 after his jig was up, an Instagram in December by Rosa's girlfriend gave away their location and has been charged with “selling multiple forged paintings by contemporary artist Raymond Pettibon” according to the US Attorney Damian Williams’ twitter.
Thomas Gavin
Perhaps the most interesting story of all in the art crime world is that of Thomas Gavin, possibly one of the most prolific artefact thieves to date to finally reveal his crimes. It is unclear how many items the now 78-year-old Gavin stole during his thieving days in the 60s and 70s. As his crimes were not discovered until 2018 when he attempted to unload a rare, revolution era rifle, the majority of his supposed targets no longer exist and most of the statutes of limitations on the items stolen have expired. At the end of 2021, Gavin plead guilty to one crime and, due to his declining health, was sentenced to one day in prison despite decades of theft. Now that his history is becoming public knowledge, I spy an Indiana Jones-eque art crime thriller in development on Netflix.
The art market is one that is subject to crime more than most, largely due to it being one of the hardest markets to regulate due the paucity in the regulation framework and the cunning minds that navigate it. Art crime is often romanticised and has inspired such popular fiction as series White Collar and novel The Goldfinch. But not all art thievery, forgery and so on is as seductive and sleek as these multimedia pieces have suggested. Who have been the recent high-profile perpetrators in the underbelly of the art world crime scene?
Michael Steinhardt
Art crime is often associated with the privileged and the white-collars and, while this characterisation may not always be entirely correct, it describes the following perpetrator quite well. Michael Steinhardt, a retired hedge fund billionaire, had to surrender 180 stolen items worth $70 million, but will face no criminal charges, provided all artefacts are returned and that Mr Steinhardt ceases antiquity collection forever.
Christian Rosa
Christian Rosa was once a rising star in the art world, but his rapidly prospering career was dashed when it came to light that he had been selling inauthentic paintings and forging the signature of Raymond Pettibon. Not only did he swindle investors and buyers of hundreds of thousands of dollars, but also risked his supposed friend and mentor’s legacy. After fleeing the US in February 2021 after his jig was up, an Instagram in December by Rosa's girlfriend gave away their location and has been charged with “selling multiple forged paintings by contemporary artist Raymond Pettibon” according to the US Attorney Damian Williams’ twitter.
Thomas Gavin
Perhaps the most interesting story of all in the art crime world is that of Thomas Gavin, possibly one of the most prolific artefact thieves to date to finally reveal his crimes. It is unclear how many items the now 78-year-old Gavin stole during his thieving days in the 60s and 70s. As his crimes were not discovered until 2018 when he attempted to unload a rare, revolution era rifle, the majority of his supposed targets no longer exist and most of the statutes of limitations on the items stolen have expired. At the end of 2021, Gavin plead guilty to one crime and, due to his declining health, was sentenced to one day in prison despite decades of theft. Now that his history is becoming public knowledge, I spy an Indiana Jones-eque art crime thriller in development on Netflix.
The art market is one that is subject to crime more than most, largely due to it being one of the hardest markets to regulate due the paucity in the regulation framework and the cunning minds that navigate it. Art crime is often romanticised and has inspired such popular fiction as series White Collar and novel The Goldfinch. But not all art thievery, forgery and so on is as seductive and sleek as these multimedia pieces have suggested. Who have been the recent high-profile perpetrators in the underbelly of the art world crime scene?
Michael Steinhardt
Art crime is often associated with the privileged and the white-collars and, while this characterisation may not always be entirely correct, it describes the following perpetrator quite well. Michael Steinhardt, a retired hedge fund billionaire, had to surrender 180 stolen items worth $70 million, but will face no criminal charges, provided all artefacts are returned and that Mr Steinhardt ceases antiquity collection forever.
Christian Rosa
Christian Rosa was once a rising star in the art world, but his rapidly prospering career was dashed when it came to light that he had been selling inauthentic paintings and forging the signature of Raymond Pettibon. Not only did he swindle investors and buyers of hundreds of thousands of dollars, but also risked his supposed friend and mentor’s legacy. After fleeing the US in February 2021 after his jig was up, an Instagram in December by Rosa's girlfriend gave away their location and has been charged with “selling multiple forged paintings by contemporary artist Raymond Pettibon” according to the US Attorney Damian Williams’ twitter.
Thomas Gavin
Perhaps the most interesting story of all in the art crime world is that of Thomas Gavin, possibly one of the most prolific artefact thieves to date to finally reveal his crimes. It is unclear how many items the now 78-year-old Gavin stole during his thieving days in the 60s and 70s. As his crimes were not discovered until 2018 when he attempted to unload a rare, revolution era rifle, the majority of his supposed targets no longer exist and most of the statutes of limitations on the items stolen have expired. At the end of 2021, Gavin plead guilty to one crime and, due to his declining health, was sentenced to one day in prison despite decades of theft. Now that his history is becoming public knowledge, I spy an Indiana Jones-eque art crime thriller in development on Netflix.
The art market is one that is subject to crime more than most, largely due to it being one of the hardest markets to regulate due the paucity in the regulation framework and the cunning minds that navigate it. Art crime is often romanticised and has inspired such popular fiction as series White Collar and novel The Goldfinch. But not all art thievery, forgery and so on is as seductive and sleek as these multimedia pieces have suggested. Who have been the recent high-profile perpetrators in the underbelly of the art world crime scene?
Michael Steinhardt
Art crime is often associated with the privileged and the white-collars and, while this characterisation may not always be entirely correct, it describes the following perpetrator quite well. Michael Steinhardt, a retired hedge fund billionaire, had to surrender 180 stolen items worth $70 million, but will face no criminal charges, provided all artefacts are returned and that Mr Steinhardt ceases antiquity collection forever.
Christian Rosa
Christian Rosa was once a rising star in the art world, but his rapidly prospering career was dashed when it came to light that he had been selling inauthentic paintings and forging the signature of Raymond Pettibon. Not only did he swindle investors and buyers of hundreds of thousands of dollars, but also risked his supposed friend and mentor’s legacy. After fleeing the US in February 2021 after his jig was up, an Instagram in December by Rosa's girlfriend gave away their location and has been charged with “selling multiple forged paintings by contemporary artist Raymond Pettibon” according to the US Attorney Damian Williams’ twitter.
Thomas Gavin
Perhaps the most interesting story of all in the art crime world is that of Thomas Gavin, possibly one of the most prolific artefact thieves to date to finally reveal his crimes. It is unclear how many items the now 78-year-old Gavin stole during his thieving days in the 60s and 70s. As his crimes were not discovered until 2018 when he attempted to unload a rare, revolution era rifle, the majority of his supposed targets no longer exist and most of the statutes of limitations on the items stolen have expired. At the end of 2021, Gavin plead guilty to one crime and, due to his declining health, was sentenced to one day in prison despite decades of theft. Now that his history is becoming public knowledge, I spy an Indiana Jones-eque art crime thriller in development on Netflix.
The art market is one that is subject to crime more than most, largely due to it being one of the hardest markets to regulate due the paucity in the regulation framework and the cunning minds that navigate it. Art crime is often romanticised and has inspired such popular fiction as series White Collar and novel The Goldfinch. But not all art thievery, forgery and so on is as seductive and sleek as these multimedia pieces have suggested. Who have been the recent high-profile perpetrators in the underbelly of the art world crime scene?
Michael Steinhardt
Art crime is often associated with the privileged and the white-collars and, while this characterisation may not always be entirely correct, it describes the following perpetrator quite well. Michael Steinhardt, a retired hedge fund billionaire, had to surrender 180 stolen items worth $70 million, but will face no criminal charges, provided all artefacts are returned and that Mr Steinhardt ceases antiquity collection forever.
Christian Rosa
Christian Rosa was once a rising star in the art world, but his rapidly prospering career was dashed when it came to light that he had been selling inauthentic paintings and forging the signature of Raymond Pettibon. Not only did he swindle investors and buyers of hundreds of thousands of dollars, but also risked his supposed friend and mentor’s legacy. After fleeing the US in February 2021 after his jig was up, an Instagram in December by Rosa's girlfriend gave away their location and has been charged with “selling multiple forged paintings by contemporary artist Raymond Pettibon” according to the US Attorney Damian Williams’ twitter.
Thomas Gavin
Perhaps the most interesting story of all in the art crime world is that of Thomas Gavin, possibly one of the most prolific artefact thieves to date to finally reveal his crimes. It is unclear how many items the now 78-year-old Gavin stole during his thieving days in the 60s and 70s. As his crimes were not discovered until 2018 when he attempted to unload a rare, revolution era rifle, the majority of his supposed targets no longer exist and most of the statutes of limitations on the items stolen have expired. At the end of 2021, Gavin plead guilty to one crime and, due to his declining health, was sentenced to one day in prison despite decades of theft. Now that his history is becoming public knowledge, I spy an Indiana Jones-eque art crime thriller in development on Netflix.
The art market is one that is subject to crime more than most, largely due to it being one of the hardest markets to regulate due the paucity in the regulation framework and the cunning minds that navigate it. Art crime is often romanticised and has inspired such popular fiction as series White Collar and novel The Goldfinch. But not all art thievery, forgery and so on is as seductive and sleek as these multimedia pieces have suggested. Who have been the recent high-profile perpetrators in the underbelly of the art world crime scene?
Michael Steinhardt
Art crime is often associated with the privileged and the white-collars and, while this characterisation may not always be entirely correct, it describes the following perpetrator quite well. Michael Steinhardt, a retired hedge fund billionaire, had to surrender 180 stolen items worth $70 million, but will face no criminal charges, provided all artefacts are returned and that Mr Steinhardt ceases antiquity collection forever.
Christian Rosa
Christian Rosa was once a rising star in the art world, but his rapidly prospering career was dashed when it came to light that he had been selling inauthentic paintings and forging the signature of Raymond Pettibon. Not only did he swindle investors and buyers of hundreds of thousands of dollars, but also risked his supposed friend and mentor’s legacy. After fleeing the US in February 2021 after his jig was up, an Instagram in December by Rosa's girlfriend gave away their location and has been charged with “selling multiple forged paintings by contemporary artist Raymond Pettibon” according to the US Attorney Damian Williams’ twitter.
Thomas Gavin
Perhaps the most interesting story of all in the art crime world is that of Thomas Gavin, possibly one of the most prolific artefact thieves to date to finally reveal his crimes. It is unclear how many items the now 78-year-old Gavin stole during his thieving days in the 60s and 70s. As his crimes were not discovered until 2018 when he attempted to unload a rare, revolution era rifle, the majority of his supposed targets no longer exist and most of the statutes of limitations on the items stolen have expired. At the end of 2021, Gavin plead guilty to one crime and, due to his declining health, was sentenced to one day in prison despite decades of theft. Now that his history is becoming public knowledge, I spy an Indiana Jones-eque art crime thriller in development on Netflix.
The art market is one that is subject to crime more than most, largely due to it being one of the hardest markets to regulate due the paucity in the regulation framework and the cunning minds that navigate it. Art crime is often romanticised and has inspired such popular fiction as series White Collar and novel The Goldfinch. But not all art thievery, forgery and so on is as seductive and sleek as these multimedia pieces have suggested. Who have been the recent high-profile perpetrators in the underbelly of the art world crime scene?
Michael Steinhardt
Art crime is often associated with the privileged and the white-collars and, while this characterisation may not always be entirely correct, it describes the following perpetrator quite well. Michael Steinhardt, a retired hedge fund billionaire, had to surrender 180 stolen items worth $70 million, but will face no criminal charges, provided all artefacts are returned and that Mr Steinhardt ceases antiquity collection forever.
Christian Rosa
Christian Rosa was once a rising star in the art world, but his rapidly prospering career was dashed when it came to light that he had been selling inauthentic paintings and forging the signature of Raymond Pettibon. Not only did he swindle investors and buyers of hundreds of thousands of dollars, but also risked his supposed friend and mentor’s legacy. After fleeing the US in February 2021 after his jig was up, an Instagram in December by Rosa's girlfriend gave away their location and has been charged with “selling multiple forged paintings by contemporary artist Raymond Pettibon” according to the US Attorney Damian Williams’ twitter.
Thomas Gavin
Perhaps the most interesting story of all in the art crime world is that of Thomas Gavin, possibly one of the most prolific artefact thieves to date to finally reveal his crimes. It is unclear how many items the now 78-year-old Gavin stole during his thieving days in the 60s and 70s. As his crimes were not discovered until 2018 when he attempted to unload a rare, revolution era rifle, the majority of his supposed targets no longer exist and most of the statutes of limitations on the items stolen have expired. At the end of 2021, Gavin plead guilty to one crime and, due to his declining health, was sentenced to one day in prison despite decades of theft. Now that his history is becoming public knowledge, I spy an Indiana Jones-eque art crime thriller in development on Netflix.
The art market is one that is subject to crime more than most, largely due to it being one of the hardest markets to regulate due the paucity in the regulation framework and the cunning minds that navigate it. Art crime is often romanticised and has inspired such popular fiction as series White Collar and novel The Goldfinch. But not all art thievery, forgery and so on is as seductive and sleek as these multimedia pieces have suggested. Who have been the recent high-profile perpetrators in the underbelly of the art world crime scene?
Michael Steinhardt
Art crime is often associated with the privileged and the white-collars and, while this characterisation may not always be entirely correct, it describes the following perpetrator quite well. Michael Steinhardt, a retired hedge fund billionaire, had to surrender 180 stolen items worth $70 million, but will face no criminal charges, provided all artefacts are returned and that Mr Steinhardt ceases antiquity collection forever.
Christian Rosa
Christian Rosa was once a rising star in the art world, but his rapidly prospering career was dashed when it came to light that he had been selling inauthentic paintings and forging the signature of Raymond Pettibon. Not only did he swindle investors and buyers of hundreds of thousands of dollars, but also risked his supposed friend and mentor’s legacy. After fleeing the US in February 2021 after his jig was up, an Instagram in December by Rosa's girlfriend gave away their location and has been charged with “selling multiple forged paintings by contemporary artist Raymond Pettibon” according to the US Attorney Damian Williams’ twitter.
Thomas Gavin
Perhaps the most interesting story of all in the art crime world is that of Thomas Gavin, possibly one of the most prolific artefact thieves to date to finally reveal his crimes. It is unclear how many items the now 78-year-old Gavin stole during his thieving days in the 60s and 70s. As his crimes were not discovered until 2018 when he attempted to unload a rare, revolution era rifle, the majority of his supposed targets no longer exist and most of the statutes of limitations on the items stolen have expired. At the end of 2021, Gavin plead guilty to one crime and, due to his declining health, was sentenced to one day in prison despite decades of theft. Now that his history is becoming public knowledge, I spy an Indiana Jones-eque art crime thriller in development on Netflix.
The art market is one that is subject to crime more than most, largely due to it being one of the hardest markets to regulate due the paucity in the regulation framework and the cunning minds that navigate it. Art crime is often romanticised and has inspired such popular fiction as series White Collar and novel The Goldfinch. But not all art thievery, forgery and so on is as seductive and sleek as these multimedia pieces have suggested. Who have been the recent high-profile perpetrators in the underbelly of the art world crime scene?
Michael Steinhardt
Art crime is often associated with the privileged and the white-collars and, while this characterisation may not always be entirely correct, it describes the following perpetrator quite well. Michael Steinhardt, a retired hedge fund billionaire, had to surrender 180 stolen items worth $70 million, but will face no criminal charges, provided all artefacts are returned and that Mr Steinhardt ceases antiquity collection forever.
Christian Rosa
Christian Rosa was once a rising star in the art world, but his rapidly prospering career was dashed when it came to light that he had been selling inauthentic paintings and forging the signature of Raymond Pettibon. Not only did he swindle investors and buyers of hundreds of thousands of dollars, but also risked his supposed friend and mentor’s legacy. After fleeing the US in February 2021 after his jig was up, an Instagram in December by Rosa's girlfriend gave away their location and has been charged with “selling multiple forged paintings by contemporary artist Raymond Pettibon” according to the US Attorney Damian Williams’ twitter.
Thomas Gavin
Perhaps the most interesting story of all in the art crime world is that of Thomas Gavin, possibly one of the most prolific artefact thieves to date to finally reveal his crimes. It is unclear how many items the now 78-year-old Gavin stole during his thieving days in the 60s and 70s. As his crimes were not discovered until 2018 when he attempted to unload a rare, revolution era rifle, the majority of his supposed targets no longer exist and most of the statutes of limitations on the items stolen have expired. At the end of 2021, Gavin plead guilty to one crime and, due to his declining health, was sentenced to one day in prison despite decades of theft. Now that his history is becoming public knowledge, I spy an Indiana Jones-eque art crime thriller in development on Netflix.
