Although robbery is a crime, we can’t deny the fact that some heists have made history, especially in the art world.
Everyone gets fascinated by a good mystery and the artistic community is full of them.
I mean, turn the pages of art history.
The hint of missing paintings, lost artworks, or stolen pieces will definitely cross your path while reading.
The tale of stolen artworks has always been controversial.
However, in the midst of controversy, some paintings were rediscovered, some were destroyed, and others are still missing. Some of them have even disappeared from our memories.
Have you ever wondered which paintings have gone missing or which of them exist today and have actually been recovered?
All these mysteries are brought to this blog, where I’ll unravel famous stolen artworks that were lost, found, and are still missing!
Table of contents
5 Stolen Artworks That Are Still Missing
While most of the masterpieces were rediscovered, there are some that are still unknown to the viewer’s eye.
1. Poppy Flowers
| Artist | Vincent Van Gogh |
| Painted In | 1887 |
| Medium | Oil Paint |
| Stolen On | 1977 & August 2010 |
| Location of Heist | Mohammed Mahmoud Khalil Museum, Cairo, Egypt |
| Estimated Price | $55 million |
| Reward for Return | $175,000 or 1,000,000 Egyptian pounds |
How was Poppy Flowers stolen?
The Mohamed Khalil Museum in Cairo proudly displayed Poppy Flowers by Vincent until 1977, when it was stolen.
The Egyptian government had a theory that a group of bandits stole the painting.
However, it was recovered after two years in Kuwait.
Although the government recovered it, it went missing again in August 2010.
A double heist of the same painting, wow! This time, the artwork went missing with no trace of discovery.
Even since it has gone missing, it is still a mystery how and who has stolen it.
Also read: Almond Blossom by Van Gogh
2. The Storm on the Sea of Galilee
| Artist | Rembrandt Van Rijn |
| Painted In | 1633 |
| Medium | Oil on Canvas |
| Stolen On | 18 March 1990 |
| Location of Heist | Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Estimated Price | $100 million |
| Reward for Return | $10 million |
How was The Storm on the Sea of Galilee stolen?
It was the morning of March 18, 1990, when two thieves in the costume of police officers entered the museum and looted The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, along with 12 other paintings.
It was the largest art heist in American history.
The case was reopened in 2013; however, no clues were found and all 13 pieces still remain missing to date.
3. The Concert
| Artist | Johannes Vermeer |
| Painted In | circa 1664 |
| Medium | Oil on Canvas |
| Stolen On | 18 March 1990 |
| Location of Heist | Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Estimated Price | 315 Florins during 1780 |
| Reward for Return | $10 million |
How was The Concert stolen?
You just heard the story of how Rembrandt’s The Storm of the Sea of Galilee and 12 other artworks were stolen, right?
In those 12 paintings, there was The Concert by Johannes Vermeer as well.
It was considered to be the most valuable piece among all 13 stolen artworks.
4. Landscape with an Obelisk
| Artist | Govert Flinck |
| Painted In | 1638 |
| Medium | Oil on wood |
| Stolen On | 18 March 1990 |
| Location of Heist | Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Estimated Price | $5 million |
| Reward for Return | $10 million |
How was Landscape with Obelisk stolen?
Even the Landscape with Obelisk painting was not able to survive during the largest heist in American history.
Yes, this Flinck’s painting is also among those 13 spectacular pieces of art that are still missing.
Will these renowned arts ever be rediscovered? I highly doubt it!
5. A Cavalier
| Artist | Frans van Mieris the Elder |
| Painted In | 1657 |
| Medium | Oil on Canvas |
| Stolen On | 10 June 2007 |
| Location of Heist | Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia |
| Estimated Price | $1 million |
| Reward for Return | Missing |
How was A Cavalier stolen?
The piece was stolen from a public viewing spot.
It is believed that someone who came to visit the gallery looted the artwork, as it is a small portrait with a size of 20 cm by 16 cm.
The painting is on the FBI’s “Top Ten Art Crimes” list. Well, I’m not surprised!
5 Stolen Artworks That Are Said to be Destroyed
Were some famous artworks destroyed as well?
I mean, I just discovered that some of the pieces that may have been among the renowned paintings never made their way back to any gallery or museum. How? Let’s read!
1. The 12-Panel Ghent Altarpiece
| Artist | Jan Van Eyck |
| Painted In | From mid-1420s to 1432 (15th Century) |
| Medium | Polyptych |
| Stolen On | 1795 by Napoleon |
| Location of Heist | the Cathedral of St. Bavo in Ghent, Belgium |
| Estimated Price | More than $35 million |
| Reward for Return | Missing |
This painting we witnessed above consists of 12 panels that are at least 11 feet tall and 15 feet wide.
You can say that it was the largest and heaviest painting that was stolen.
So, how was The 12-Panel Ghent Altarpiece stolen?
It all started when Napoleon Bonaparte had his eyes on the painting.
He sent his troops to acquire the art and decorate it in the Louvre Museum. But in the end, they have to return to Belgium.
In 1815, six panels were sold by a vicar in order to repay debts and later they passed to the king of Prussia.
Years later, it was returned in accordance with the Treaty of Versailles. After that, nobody knows where the paintings are.
2. Reading Girl in White and Yellow
| Artist | Henri Matisse |
| Painted In | 1919 |
| Medium | Portrait |
| Stolen On | 15-16 October 2012 |
| Location of Heist | Kunsthal museum in Rotterdam |
| Estimated Price | Not Disclosed |
| Reward for Return | Missing |
How was Reading Girl in White and Yellow stolen?
The robbery took place in the Kunsthal museum in Rotterdam, where this beautiful painting was put on display.
Several burglars evidently entered the museum from the emergency exit and stole n-numbers of paintings in just two minutes.
Just two minutes and it’s all done. Fast, right?
Later, one of the thieves’ mothers was frightened by her child’s misdoing and buried the paintings outside a village cemetery.
She even set some artwork on fire in her kitchen’s oven. And hence, Henri Matisse’s “Reading Girl in White and Yellow” was destroyed.
Also read: Dance Painting by Henri Matisse
3. The Just Judges
| Artist | Jan Van Eyck |
| Painted In | 1430-1432 |
| Medium | Polyptych |
| Stolen On | 10 April 1934 |
| Location of Heist | Saint Bavo Cathedral in Ghent, Belgium |
| Estimated Price | Not Disclosed |
| Reward for Return | Missing |
How was The Just Judges stolen?
The Just Judges belong to one of the 12 panels of the Ghent Altarpiece.
You must be wondering that I already told you how the piece was stolen, so why am I emphasizing this particular panel?
Well, the most mysterious theft was done with this lower panel, where the crime took place in 1934, leaving a note in French.
In English, it says: “Taken from Germany by the Treaty of Versailles.”
With the series of various notes exchanged between the culprit and Belgian government in demand of ransom, it came to an end when local Belgian politician Arsène Goedertier was on his deathbed in Nov 1934.
How? He confessed that all this time he knew the location of the painting but he chose to keep this secret until he died.
Although he became the main suspect after this, the piece was never found and was buried in art history.
4. Le pigeon aux petits pois
| Artist | Pablo Picasso |
| Painted In | 1911 |
| Medium | Oil on Canvas |
| Stolen On | 20 May 2010 |
| Location of Heist | Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris |
| Estimated Price | $28 million |
| Reward for Return | Missing |
How was Le pigeon aux petits pois stolen?
Even Pablo was not left behind when it came to famous stolen artworks.
It was 3 am on May 20, 2010, when a masked person broke into the Paris Museum of Modern Art.
The thief’s target was clear. He removed the glasses from the window and got into the place.
Where the sensor and alarms should have been activated, they were out of order. The heist was not discovered until the next morning.
However, there is a twist in this heist. The culprit was found and sentenced to eight years in prison, along with a fine of €104 million.
He was a 49 year old Vjéran Tomic with an existing criminal record.
One of Tomic’s collaborators, Yonathan Birn, confessed that he threw the stolen artworks in the trash. And therefore, we again lost a masterpiece!
Also read: The Weeping Woman By Picasso
5. Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence
| Artist | Caravaggio |
| Painted In | 1609 |
| Medium | Art print or Oil on Canvas |
| Stolen On | 17-18 October 1969 |
| Location of Heist | San Lorenzo in Palermo, Sicily |
| Estimated Price | $13 million |
| Reward for Return | Missing |
How was Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence stolen?
One night on October 17-18, two thieves looted the work from its home in Palermo, Sicily.
The painting measures about 2.7 metres high and 2 metres wide.
This could be one of the reasons they cut the painting from the frame and even took the carpet, which, by the authorities’ belief, was to roll the artwork.
Easy peasy! A renowned work of Palermo vanished in just one night with no trace to be rediscovered.
5 Stolen Artworks That Were Recovered
There were some masterpieces that reappeared after being stolen and made their way to the public.
Why not look into those creations?
1. Mona Lisa
| Artist | Leonardo da Vinci |
| Painted In | 1503 |
| Medium | Oil on Poplar Panel |
| Stolen On | 21 August 1911 |
| Date Recovered | 1913 |
| Location of Heist | Musée du Louvre, Paris, France |
| Estimated Price | $100 million |
How was the Mona Lisa stolen?
Who knew that the priceless work of Leonardo, the Louvre’s honor, and the heart of the art community were once stolen?
It was not only stolen but it was not even famous until the heist took place. You heard me right!
The man behind this infamous crime was Vincenzo Peruggia, a handyman at the Louvre’s museum.
On August 21, he hid himself in the museum and when the place was closed, the crime was committed.
The next moment, there was news flashing about “Who Stole the Mona Lisa Painting?”
After two years, the painting was recovered when Mr. Peruggia tried to sell it to an art dealer.
The painting made its way back to the Louvre.
Do you know one interesting fact? The famous Mona Lisa can make its way to your walls with just one click.
2. Saint Jerome Writing
| Artist | Caravaggio |
| Painted In | c. 1607-1608 |
| Medium | Oil on Canvas |
| Stolen On | 29 December 1984 |
| Date Recovered | 4 August 1988 |
| Location of Heist | St. John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta |
| Estimated Price | $30 million |
How was Saint Jerome Writing stolen?
In 1984, Caravaggio’s painting “Saint Jerome Writing” was cut out of the frame.
The artwork went missing without indication of any evidence, leaving the frame empty.
Following various telephone negotiations between the director of the museum and the thief, the art piece was finally recovered.
The piece was damaged to such an extent that it could not be put on display until it was restored.
But it still recovered and displays flawlessly in Borghese Gallery and Museum.
3. The Scream (Der Schrei der Natur)
| Artist | Edvard Munch |
| Painted In | 1893 |
| Medium | Oil, tempera, pastel and crayon on cardboard |
| Stolen On | 12 February 1994 and 22 August 2004 |
| Date Recovered | 7 May 1994 and 31 August 2006 |
| Location of Heist | National Gallery, Oslo and Munch Museum, Oslo |
| Estimated Price | Approximately $119,922,500 million |
How was The Scream stolen?
Again, one of the most expensive paintings in the world was stolen not just once but twice and also recovered.
These facts will drive me crazy. I mean, another prominent artwork was stolen?
It was stolen twice, once in 1994 and again in 2004.
In 1994, two men broke into the gallery and stole The Scream while leaving a note: “Thanks for the poor security.”
Hilarious, I must say!
When the gallery refused to give the ransom amount, the police ran a sting operation, which led to the recovery of the painting.
Once again, in 2004, masked gunmen entered the Munch museum in daylight hours and stole not only The Scream painting but also Munch’s Madonna.
I guess the 1994 thieves were not wrong when they said, “Thanks for the poor security.”
It took two years before the painting was found in 2006, secured and undamaged.
4. Portrait of the Duke of Wellington
| Artist | Francisco Goya |
| Painted In | 1812-1814 |
| Medium | Oil on mahogany panel |
| Stolen On | 21 August 1961 |
| Date Recovered | July 1965 |
| Location of Heist | National Gallery, London |
| Estimated Price | Not Disclosed |
How was Portrait of the Duke of Wellington stolen?
The painting was stolen 19 days after it was put on display at the National Gallery by bus driver Kempton Bunton.
He claimed that he loosened one of the windows and entered the gallery.
The theft was done as a protest at the cost of a television licence.
In 1965, Bunton returned the painting in luggage to Birmingham New Street.
5. Self-portrait with Beret and Gathered Shirt
| Artist | Rembrandt |
| Painted In | 1630 |
| Medium | Oil on Canvas |
| Stolen On | 22 December 2000 |
| Date Recovered | 2005 |
| Location of Heist | Nationalmuseum, Stockholm |
| Estimated Price | $37 million |
How was a Self-Portrait with Beret and Gathered Shirt stolen?
This self portrait by Rembrandt was stolen when an armed gang entered the museum just before it was about to close.
While one member was banished with guns in the lobby, the other members stole the painting.
Even two masterworks by French impressionist Pierre-August Renoir.
After 5 years, the painting was recovered in Copenhagen.
To Conclude
These stolen artworks make me wonder how precious art is in our world or maybe a piece by which anyone can make easy money.
You can’t deny this: a painting worth 100 million dollars—what a great way to be rich!
Do you know more than 52 thousand paintings have been stolen in the history of art?
Or maybe more; I can’t say exactly.
But what I am presenting in front of you are google based facts.
There is a possibility that the number may be greater than what we see or read.
And if this fact is true, how many are still missing? How many lost paintings existed before?
FAQs
The 12-Panel Ghent Altarpiece was the most popular stolen artwork, with the largest measures.
We all know that handmade art is rare. Each painting holds a unique and significant value, which motivates people to perceive an opportunity and take something valuable.
As long as the artwork is authentic and legitimate, the piece holds the same value as before the heist. You can look at the Mona Lisa, which is a perfect example of receiving fame after it was stolen.
