Photo: artnet

$180,000 Renoir Painting Stolen From Austrian Auction House

Art + Architecture News
Photo: artnet
Eben Diskin
Nov 29, 2018

It’s a classic Hollywood heist caper come to life. On Monday, an 1895 Renoir painting — the “Golfe, mer, falaises vertes,” valued at $180,000 — was stolen from the Dorotheum auction house in Vienna. According to what police know so far, three middle-aged men walked into the auction house at 5:15 PM, approached the painting, removed it from its frame, and walked out, making no effort to hide their appearance from security cameras. The exact method they used to extract the painting — which was set to be auctioned off on Wednesday — has not been released.

Dorotheum auction house in Vienna, Austria

Photo: Dorotheum/Facebook

The whole process seems surprisingly quick and easy, but as of right now, no further details are known about how the the theft was carried out. James Roundell, director of Impressionist and Modern art at Dickinson and a London art dealer, said to The New York Times that blatant robberies of large items at auction houses are rare.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 🇻🇪 NOTICIAS 7am 🇻🇪 (@noticias7am) on

Esther Bell, chief curator at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, echoed Roundell’s surprise. “This is a brazen crime,” she said, “that sends a shiver down any curator’s spine.” She added that one of the most concerning aspects of the incident is the condition of the painting itself. “We spend our careers trying to protect and preserve these paintings,” she said, “and it is truly stomach-churning to think of this Renoir in the hands of criminals who clearly have no interest in the protection of cultural assets.”

H/T: The New York Times

What did you think of this story?
Meh
Good
Awesome

We think you might also like

5 Towns You Need To Visit in Puglia, Italy

This Famous Parisian Church Is Open 24/7 To Maintain 130 Years of Nonstop Praying

The Most Colorful Park in the World Is Actually a Failed Housing Estate for the Rich

This Is France’s Most Famous and Mysterious Island That You Can Visit

You Can Bring Your Own Booze To This Amazing 66-Acre Botanical Garden That Has a Grilled Cheese Kiosk

Why It's Green and Other Things You Need To Know Before Visiting the Statue of Liberty

Everything You Need To Know About the Largest Church in the World

This 16th-Century Palace Is Packed With Artworks From Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo - and You Can Visit

Everything You Need To Know About This 1,500-Year-Old Cathedral-Turned-Mosque-Turned-Museum-Turned-Mosque

The Smallest Country in the World Has Only One Dog and the World's Largest Church

Save Bookmark

We use cookies for analytics tracking and advertising from our partners. For more information read our privacy policy.