Category: ART WORLD NEWS

Thieves Made Off With $2.2 Million in Loot From a Lavish French Castle That Helped Inspire Versailles

Last week, in the hours before dawn, six masked thieves crept into the private quarters of the lavish 17th-century chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte.
There, the robbers tied up 90-year-old Patrice de Vogüé and his 78-year-old wife, Cristina, with neckties, according to local …

Exploring the Roots of Luxury Luggage Maker Rimowa, and Its Proud Place in the History of Modern Design

In the final years of the 19th century, progressive minds across Europe eagerly beckoned a new aesthetic age. Vienna Secession patriarch Gustav Klimt, together with a band of like-minded radicals, moved to rid the Austrian capital of its suffocating artistic …

Thieves Tried to Steal Pieter Brueghel the Younger’s Artwork

Nowadays, art world news in interesting art articles attracts the attention of many people. Many paintings have a big value: they can be connected to history or personal emotions, but while some simply enjoy them, others attempt to steal them. Art thefts happen by stealing the most popular and unique paintings, it’s possible to get millions of dollars. For this reason, a lot of galleries are secured from all sides through surveillance cameras, guards, and alarm system. Visual art articles tell the new story.

“The Crucifixion” by the Flemish painter of the second part of the 1500s, Pieter Brueghel the Younger, was almost stolen from a Northern-Italian town church on March 13. The cost of this painting is about 3.5 million dollars. Such an event immediately became a part of art news. So, how did it happen?

Everything Could Be Okay for them, But…

The thieves calculated the time when the priest of Santa Maria Maddalena Church was supposed to be out. Considering the extent of preparation, these folks clearly knew what they were doing. They shattered the glass that was protecting the work of the 17th century with the hammer, took the painting, and ran away to the car waiting for them outside. Unfortunately for them, they were noticed by a citizen who saw the strangely opened church door and alerted the others.

The Unexpected Truth

There are three details of this case of art news UK that will definitely surprise you.

1)      Thieves didn’t know that the painting they stole was a copy placed in the church on purpose to replace the original artwork. The police of Italy had been warned about the upcoming theft in advance. Brueghel’s painting was protected, so the thieves never even had a chance for success.

2)      A few people apart from the police knew about the replaced artwork, including the priest and the mayor who only pretended to be shocked at first.

3)      Art crime in Italy has fallen from 906 crimes in 2011 to 449 incidents in 2016, which presents us with the hope that artworks will be protected further.

Italy stays a popular place for art thieves because of numerous cultural exhibits and open churches with expensive artworks. However, as police have proven, they stay alert. So let’s hope that we won’t be seeing any visual art news about paintings that were actually stolen. With watchful police officers as well as civilians, we have all the chances to succeed. Unlike the thieves.

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