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Art theft is an ancient and complicated crime. When you look at the some of the most famous cases of art thefts in history
you see thoroughly planned operations that involve art dealers
art fakers
mobsters
ransoms
and millions of dollars. Here you can read about some of the most famous cases of art theft in the history.

The First Theft:
The first documented case of art theft was in 1473
when two panels of altarpiece of the Last Judgment by the Dutch painter Hans Memling were stolen. While the triptych was being transported by ship from the Netherlands to Florence
the ship was attacked by pirates who took it to the Gdansk cathedral in Poland. Nowadays
the piece is shown at the National Museum in Gdansk where it was recently moved from the Basilica of the Assumption.

The Most Famous Theft:
The most famous story of art theft involves one of the most famous paintings in the world and one of the most famous artists in history as a suspect. In the night of August 21
1911
the Mona Lisa was stolen out of the Louver. Soon after
Pablo Picasso was arrested and questioned by the police
but was released quickly.

It took about two years until the mystery was solved by the Parisian police. It turned out that the 30ื21 inch painting was taken by one of the museum employees by the name of Vincenzo Peruggia
who simply carried it hidden under his coat. Nevertheless
Peruggia did not work alone. The crime was carefully conducted by a notorious con man
Eduardo de Valfierno
who was sent by an art faker who intended to make copies and sell them as if they were the original painting.

While Yves Chaudron
the art faker
was busy creating copies for the famous masterpiece
Mona Lisa was still hidden at Peruggias apartment. After two years in which Peruggia did not hear from Chaudron
he tried to make the best out of his stolen good. Eventually
Peruggia was caught by the police while trying to sell the painting to an art dealer from Florence
Italy. The Mona Lisa was returned to the Louver in 1913.

The Biggest Theft in the USA:
The biggest art theft in United States took place at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. On the night of March 18
1990
a group of thieves wearing police uniforms broke into the museum and took thirteen paintings whose collective value was estimated at around 300 million dollars. The thieves took two paintings and one print by Rembrandt
and works of Vermeer
Manet
Degas
Govaert Flinck
as well as a French and a Chinese artifact.

As of yet
none of the paintings have been found and the case is still unsolved. According to recent rumors
the FBI are investigating the possibility that the Boston Mob along with French art dealers are connected to the crime.

The Scream:
The painting by Edvard Munchs
The Scream
is probably the most sought after painting by art thieves in history. It has been stolen twice and was only recently recovered. In 1994
during the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer
Norway
The Scream was stolen from an Oslo gallery by two thieves who broke through an open window
set off the alarm and left a note saying: thanks for the poor security.

Three months later
the holders of the painting approached the Norwegian Government with an offer: 1 million dollars ransom for Edvard Munchs The Scream. The Government turned down the offer
but the Norwegian police collaborated with the British Police and the Getty Museum to organize a sting operation that brought back the painting to where it belongs.

Ten years later
The Scream was stolen again from the Munch Museum. This time
the robbers used a gun and took another of Munchs painting with them. While Museum officials waiting for the thieves to request ransom money
rumors claimed that both paintings were burned to conceal evidence. Eventually
the Norwegian police discovered the two paintings on August 31
2006
but the facts on how they were recovered are not known yet.