It wasn't us officer, honest.
Last week a thief broke into the Musée d'Art Moderne across from the Eiffel Tower in Paris and stole paintings by Picasso, Braque, Matisse, Léger and Modigliani worth a reported £85 million. Apparently, the thief simply cut through a padlock, broke a window and was free to roam around the gallery at leisure. The alarm failed to go off and motion sensors were out of order. Three night security guards noticed nothing on their CCTV system.
Of course, art theft is nothing new. The Mona Lisa disappeared from the Louvre in 1911 and Munch's The Scream was snatched in Oslo in 2004. Both paintings were recovered after a couple of years. And there are many other cases of famous art works being stolen.
The latest theft again raises the question of whether works of art are well enough protected. If famous paintings and sculptures are valued at millions of pounds then the galleries and museums must provide and maintain adequate security. But what about works that are privately owned, how can individuals afford the necessary levels of security to protect such valuable items? Or maybe some of these works are not really as valuable as the are made out to be and don't warrant such high security.
In any case, those who are responsible for looking after objects that have historical or commercial value, need to do as much as they can to protect them.
Love Your Art,
Vicky and Vince
Last week a thief broke into the Musée d'Art Moderne across from the Eiffel Tower in Paris and stole paintings by Picasso, Braque, Matisse, Léger and Modigliani worth a reported £85 million. Apparently, the thief simply cut through a padlock, broke a window and was free to roam around the gallery at leisure. The alarm failed to go off and motion sensors were out of order. Three night security guards noticed nothing on their CCTV system.
Of course, art theft is nothing new. The Mona Lisa disappeared from the Louvre in 1911 and Munch's The Scream was snatched in Oslo in 2004. Both paintings were recovered after a couple of years. And there are many other cases of famous art works being stolen.
The latest theft again raises the question of whether works of art are well enough protected. If famous paintings and sculptures are valued at millions of pounds then the galleries and museums must provide and maintain adequate security. But what about works that are privately owned, how can individuals afford the necessary levels of security to protect such valuable items? Or maybe some of these works are not really as valuable as the are made out to be and don't warrant such high security.
In any case, those who are responsible for looking after objects that have historical or commercial value, need to do as much as they can to protect them.
Love Your Art,
Vicky and Vince
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