Crimes of the Art

The US Department of Justice currently ranks art crime as the third-largest criminal enterprise in the world. The increase in international art transactions has helped create a booming market for stolen and fraudulent art, and major US arts institutions still struggle with repatriation of stolen or looted objects in their collections. This course will explore the darker side of the art world: thefts, forgeries, vandalism, art scams, and even historic confrontations between artists.