An Exhibit of Stolen Art in Rome


A new art exhibit in Rome will display 100 works of art that the Italian Art Squad, the Carabinieri Cultural Heritage Protect Unit, have recovered in recent years. The exhibition will take place at the Palazzo Incontro, (Meeting Palace).

It is often said that if we could gather all of the stolen works of art into one museum, it would be the world’s finest collection of art. That claim is of course quite far-fetched and nearly impossible to quantify, but perhaps this exhibition will illustrate how much art is being lost.

The exhibition, titled “Stolen art, the return” includes Young girl with red stockings by Amedeo Modigliane (pictured here) which was stolen from its private owner in the 1990’s, and has never been publicly displayed. Other works include two paintings by Francesco Barbieri, known as il Guercino. Also, an artifact called the “Ivory Face” uses a technique called chryselephantine which combines Ivory and Gold. Its age and provenance are unknown however, illustrating how much context can be lost when illicit excavation takes place.

The exhibition is quite remarkable, and a very shrewd move by the art squad. It is a very tangible expression of how many works are being lost, and how a well-funded and committed police force can limit the illicit trade in these works.

Questions or Comments? Email me at derek.fincham@gmail.com

One thought on “An Exhibit of Stolen Art in Rome”

  1. This return of stolen art objects follows Italy’s spectacular return of an obelisk to Ethiopia last month.This augurs well for the question of the return of stolen cultural objects. Are we on the verge of a new era in this domain? A period where there will be no issue of stolen or illegally detained art object? A gesture by the French,Briitish,Dutch,Portugeese
    and the Germans would be a great contribution to clearing the atmosphere which now exists. Are the Germans perhaps thinking of returning Nefertiti to Egypt? This problem will not go away unless those illegally retaining the cultural objects of others finally decide to make a substntial move. DR.KWAME OPOKU.

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