I’m not a huge art aficionado. I have some pieces that I like, but I cannot pretend to be an expert. (My dogs playing poker is one of my favourites.) I recently came across some literature about art theft, and the black market in stolen art and artifacts, and it surprised me.
The FBI has had a special team of people devoted to this since 2004, and it estimates that the stolen art trade is worth $6 billion per year. It is ranked as the fourth largest criminal activity worldwide, with only drugs, money laundering and the weapons trade beating it.
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In Canada, we have only four such police specialists nationwide. Two are with the RCMP and two with the Quebec Provincial Police.
Thieves use modern methods and sophisticated technology to plan and execute their thefts. Google Earth’s satellite views of cities have been used to pinpoint galleries and possible rooftop entrances.
One enterprising British thief used Google Earth to locate roofs made with valuable materials. Rather than stealing what was inside the buildings, he would steal the roofing material and sell it to metal dealers. He made enough to finance a high-flying lifestyle, stealing more than 30 roofs within six months.
When caught, he received an eight-month suspended sentence, 100 hours of community service, and a curfew. One month later, police caught him on another roof in the middle of the night.
Canada is not immune. In 1972, there was a caper at the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal in which thieves stole 18 paintings and 37 other art objects in 30 minutes.
In 2008, numerous pieces by Bill Reid were stolen from the University of British Columbia. They were recovered and no charges filed, due to a lack of evidence.
One year ago, there was a break-in at an Ontario gallery with $50,000 worth of paintings stolen.
In August 2010, more than 20,000 stolen Bulgarian artifacts, coins and jewels were found and seized in Montreal.
Experts say Canada has become a haven for buying and selling stolen art and antiquities.
In September, Richard McClintock of Quebec was convicted of fraud and forgery related charges. He had painted his own versions of art works by prominent Quebecois artists, passing them off as originals and selling them for big bucks. When his residence was raided, police found 85 other pieces, which stood to gain McClintock $1.5 million.
He received eight months of house arrest and was banned from galleries and museums for two years. Some people might argue that they’d stay at home and not go to art shows in exchange for $1.5 million.
Carefully check those paintings of elevators and stacks of bales because they could be worth real money or you could be in possession of stolen property. When acquiring high-priced art, buy only from reputable and knowledgeable dealers.
Rick Danyliuk is a lawyer with McDougall Gauley LLP in Saskatoon.
