Annual Meetings-Fine Art: Theft, Fraud and Loss Prevention

Pdf Summary

The document discusses various cases related to cultural property disputes and art theft, highlighting legal actions taken and key defenses used. It delves into the specifics of cases such as the theft of the Pissarro monotype and the legal arguments surrounding it, the dispute over the Van Gogh painting between Yale University and a Russian family, and the controversy surrounding the Mask of Ka-Nefer-Nefer at the St. Louis Art Museum. The document also emphasizes the importance of title insurance and the challenges in proving theft or illegal importation in civil forfeiture cases.<br /><br />Furthermore, the document offers insights into art theft prevention strategies, focusing on three pillars: physical security measures like surveillance and barriers, human resources including guards and monitoring, and internal controls such as background checks and inventory management. It also highlights insider threats in art theft and provides examples of art theft cases involving insiders and outsiders, underscoring the failures in physical security, human resources, and internal controls that led to the thefts. Lastly, the document stresses the significance of maintaining robust security measures, monitoring systems, and protocols to prevent art theft effectively.

Asset Caption

Presented by:
David L. Hall, Partner, Wiggin & Dana LLP, and Robert Wittman, President, Robert Wittman, Inc.

Keywords

cultural property disputes

art theft

legal actions

Pissarro monotype theft

Van Gogh painting dispute

Mask of Ka-Nefer-Nefer controversy

title insurance

civil forfeiture cases

art theft prevention strategies

insider threats