Art Theft and the Case of the Stolen Turners
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Review
'a thoughtful (and personal) entrée into the business of art theft' --Sunday Times
'[a] vivid account of the workings of a hidden art world - the culmination of over eight years of research - has at its heart an exploration of different concepts of value.' --The Sunday Times
'A stupefying amount of Nairne's life, as his riveting book reveals, was devoted to nerve-racking negotiations with mysterious middlemen, sudden and futile expeditions to Germany, tense meetings with loss adjusters, Tate trustees and detectives.' --The Observer
'A sensational, frank book'
--Welt am Sonntag
'I was gripped by Sandy Nairne's matter-of-fact but hair-raising account of the efforts to reclaim the two Turners' --Phillip Hensher, 'Books of the Year', The Spectator
'a fascinating read, delving into some of the important moral issues associated with the paying of recovery fees.' --Alexander McCall Smith, 'Books of the Year', The Scotsman
'Sandy Nairne takes us into an art-and-underworld maze that matches Raymond Chandler at his most labyrinthine . . . raise[s] interesting questions about why thieves steal art and why art theft should matter to us.' --RA Magazine
'A stupefying amount of Nairne's life, as his riveting book reveals, was devoted to nerve-racking negotiations with mysterious middlemen, sudden and futile expeditions to Germany, tense meetings with loss adjusters, Tate trustees and detectives.' --The Observer
`a gripping account of the complex and delicate negotiations for the recovery of the Turners.'
--Country Life
'[a] vivid account of the workings of a hidden art world - the culmination of over eight years of research - has at its heart an exploration of different concepts of value.' --The Sunday Times
'A stupefying amount of Nairne's life, as his riveting book reveals, was devoted to nerve-racking negotiations with mysterious middlemen, sudden and futile expeditions to Germany, tense meetings with loss adjusters, Tate trustees and detectives.' --The Observer
'A sensational, frank book'
--Welt am Sonntag
'I was gripped by Sandy Nairne's matter-of-fact but hair-raising account of the efforts to reclaim the two Turners' --Phillip Hensher, 'Books of the Year', The Spectator
'a fascinating read, delving into some of the important moral issues associated with the paying of recovery fees.' --Alexander McCall Smith, 'Books of the Year', The Scotsman
'Sandy Nairne takes us into an art-and-underworld maze that matches Raymond Chandler at his most labyrinthine . . . raise[s] interesting questions about why thieves steal art and why art theft should matter to us.' --RA Magazine
'A stupefying amount of Nairne's life, as his riveting book reveals, was devoted to nerve-racking negotiations with mysterious middlemen, sudden and futile expeditions to Germany, tense meetings with loss adjusters, Tate trustees and detectives.' --The Observer
`a gripping account of the complex and delicate negotiations for the recovery of the Turners.'
--Country Life
Product Description
The theft of high-profile works of art is not new and recurs on a fairly regular basis. In 1994 two important paintings by J.M.W Turner (then valued at £24 million) were stolen from a public gallery in Frankfurt while on loan from the Tate in London. Sandy Nairne, who was then Director of Programmes at the Tate, became centrally involved in the pursuit of the pictures and in the negotiation for their return. In Art Theft and the Case of the Stolen Turners he relates for the first time this complex, cloak-and-dagger story of the theft, the many efforts to regain the paintings and the final return of the pictures in 2002 to public display at the Tate. In addition to this story, Nairne examines other high-value art thefts, trying to resolve the puzzle of why thieves steal well-known works of art that cannot be sold, even on the black market. Nairne also discusses the theft and recovery of works of art, acknowledging that they form part of a much broader field of theft, looting and illicit dealings with art and antiquities around the world. He debates how different concepts of value can be understood by examining episodes of art theft, questions of motivation and surrounding ethical issues. How art theft is depicted in fiction is also considered, including the construction of the image of the art thief, the specialist detective and the mysterious figure of the hidden, criminal collectior. Art Theft and the Case of the Stolen Turners is the culmination of eight and a half years of pursing the missing paintings, and a further period of research and interviews with key players in the drama. It is a vivid and personal account of a hidden art world and a compelling real-life detective story that will keep both art and mystery lovers eagerly turning pages.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A cracking good yarn - big art theft and labyrinthine negotiations with fascinating moral implications. Nairne was at the centre of these negotiations, so we get a first hand insight, counterpointed touchingly with details of his family life. Riveting.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Stolen Apples Taste the Sweetest
7 Jan 2012
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you are responsible for keeping the contents of an art museum in the museum, this book would be an excellent one for you to read.
It falls short of being a great book due to its lack of clear focus. Its first, and stronger, part is the story of the work performed over many years leading to the return of two stolen J.M.W. Turner paintings to the Tate in London. Here the author, Sandy Nairne, was directly involved and provides an insiders' true, but sometimes plodding, account of the eventual complex recovery process of the two works, which were stolen while on loan in Germany. Issues of insurance and dealing with the police are nicely set forth.
I think the best part of the book is on the many ethical considerations that are raised and discussed about a high-profile recovery that entailed negotiations with a German attorney who held useful information on the crime. After large payments were made to him, the art was handed back to the Tate museum. Was this a permissible reward or an illegal ransom?
The book's second part is mostly a simple rehash of other important art crimes, whether true or as fictionally depicted in the movies. (Why is it necessary to talk about female police detectives?) This part does have some good discussion of why paintings by the masters are now valued so highly by society--and thieves--and what might be done, if anything, to better protect these works or capture the thugs who steal them.
An ethical point I think was overlooked by Mr. Nairne: Why was it permissible for the Tate to essentially lie to the press about the state of recovery, when it had in hand one of the two paintings?
It falls short of being a great book due to its lack of clear focus. Its first, and stronger, part is the story of the work performed over many years leading to the return of two stolen J.M.W. Turner paintings to the Tate in London. Here the author, Sandy Nairne, was directly involved and provides an insiders' true, but sometimes plodding, account of the eventual complex recovery process of the two works, which were stolen while on loan in Germany. Issues of insurance and dealing with the police are nicely set forth.
I think the best part of the book is on the many ethical considerations that are raised and discussed about a high-profile recovery that entailed negotiations with a German attorney who held useful information on the crime. After large payments were made to him, the art was handed back to the Tate museum. Was this a permissible reward or an illegal ransom?
The book's second part is mostly a simple rehash of other important art crimes, whether true or as fictionally depicted in the movies. (Why is it necessary to talk about female police detectives?) This part does have some good discussion of why paintings by the masters are now valued so highly by society--and thieves--and what might be done, if anything, to better protect these works or capture the thugs who steal them.
An ethical point I think was overlooked by Mr. Nairne: Why was it permissible for the Tate to essentially lie to the press about the state of recovery, when it had in hand one of the two paintings?
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