The Journal of Art Crime, Spring 2009: A Summary Review

Cover Design by Urska Charney

The first issue of The Journal of Art Crime was published by the Association for Research into Crimes against Art (ARCA) and edited by Noah Charney in the Spring of 2009.

In his Letter from the Editor, Noah Charney writes:

"Inside, readers will find interdisciplinary articles from both academics and professionals, related to art crime, its history, and its repercussions. Relevant fields include criminology, law, art history, history, sociology, policing, security, archaeology, conservation, and more. There are few topical venues in which scholars can publish on the inherently interdisciplinary and international subject of art crime. Little empirical data has been available to scholars, leading few to turn their professional attentions to the phenomenon. The result is that there is relatively little material published on art crime, and still less that might be considered scholarly. ARCA seeks to encourage new scholarship in the study of art crime, by both encouraging young academics and students to focus on the subject, and to bring together established academics and professionals, bridging the gap between theoretical study and experience in the field. The salient question is: how can the academic study of contemporary and historical art crime help to protect and recovery art today?"

Academic articles include Virginia Curry on "United States v. Steven George Cooperman"; Howard Spiegler on "Surviving War & Peace: The Long Road to Recovering the Malevich Paintings"; Ann Shaftel on "Thangka Painting Techniques: Traditional, Contemporary, & Instantly 'Old'"; Erik Nemeth on "Plunderer & Protector of Cultural Property: Security-Intelligence Services Shape Strategic Value of Art".

Columns include Donn Zaretsky's Art Law & Policy; David Gill's Context Matters; Stevan Layne's Art Security; and Noah Charney's Lessons from the History of Art Crime.

Editorial essays include Jonathan Lopez on "7/8th Underwater -- Art Fraud"; Julia Williams on "Museums De-Accessioning Collections"; Colonel Giovanni Pastore on "Defending Art -- Excerpt from ARCA's book 'Art & Crime'"; Shima Ebrahimi on "Art Theft: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist & An Investigation into Title and Statute of Limitations".

Reviews include David Gill on "Cuno's 'Who Owns Antiquity?' and Waxman's 'Loot'"; Andrea Wood on "Dolnick's 'The Forger's Spell' and Lopez' 'The Man Who Made Vermeers'"; Virginia Curry on "Connor's 'The Art of the Heist' & Boser's 'The Gardner Heist'"; David Gill on "Nostoi Exhibition in Rome"; Andrea Wood on "'The Rape of Europa' PBS Documentary"; Susan Summerfield Hammerman's Annotated Literature Review of "Rare Book, Map, and Archive Crime Bibliography"; and Mark Durney's Annotated Literature Review of "Looting & The Illicit Trade in Antiquities".

Other articles include an interview with Vernon Rapley; a Q&A with Lord Colin Renfrew; and Noah Charney on "Top Ten Must-See Artworks in The Netherlands".

To subscribe to The Journal of Art Crime, please go to ARCA's website section "Publications" here.