Art Theft and the Case of the Stolen Turners

Art Theft and the Case of the Stolen Turners

Paperback (15 Aug 2012)

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Publisher's Synopsis

In 1994 two important paintings by J.M.W. Turner-then valued at twenty-four million pounds-were stolen from a German public gallery while on loan from Tate Britain. In this vivid, personal account, Sandy Nairne who was then Director of Programmes at the Tate and became centrally involved in the pursuit of the paintings and the negotiations for their return, retells this complex, 8-year, cloak-and-dagger story, which finally concluded in 2002 with the pictures returning to public display at the Tate.
 
In addition to this thrilling narrative, Nairne unravels stories of other high-value art thefts, puzzling what motivates a thief to steal a well-known work of art that cannot be sold, even on the black market. Nairne also examines the role of art theft within the larger underworld of international looting and illicit deals among art and antique collectors. The art heist, of course, is a popular theme of crime novels and films, and Nairne considers these depictions as well, investigating the imaginative construction of the art thief, the specialist detective, and the mysterious collector.
 
Art Theft and the Case of the Stolen Turners is a compelling, real-life detective story that will keep both art and mystery lovers eagerly turning pages.

 

Book information

ISBN: 9781780230207
Publisher: Reaktion Books
Imprint: Reaktion Books
Pub date:
DEWEY: 364.16287
DEWEY edition: 23
Language: English
Number of pages: 224
Weight: 374g
Height: 217mm
Width: 138mm
Spine width: 22mm