The founding director of the Association for Research into Crimes against Art estimates that about 75 percent of art crimes involves antiquities.
Tag: Art Theft News
Data and market figures for the illegal trade in stolen art and antique smuggling. Contains statistics on art theft, tomb raiding and other art crimes.
Amount of Money an Antique Looter Can Earn
According to the former head of the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute, a looter who steals antiques and artifacts only receives 1 percent of the final sale price. The other 99 percent in earnings are shared by the middleman and dealer.
Price of Artifacts Smuggled Out of Pakistan
An artifact smuggler working out of Pakistan stated that he is able to sell a Buddha statue weighing between 40 to 80 kilograms for $20,000 on the global black market.
While digging, the smuggler says that he pays the local police station a bribe of $106 (10,000 Pakistani Rupees) as an advance, and $10.62 (1,000 Rupees) for each day of digging.
Number of Artworks Registered as Stolen in 2012
As of April 2012, there were a registered 350,000 stolen artworks from around the world listed in the database of the Art Loss Register. The artwork is traded in the black market for roughly 5 to 10 percent of its appraised value. In a report by ABC News, the most highly valued art pieces have a value of over $1 Billion.
Top Locations Where Art Gets Stolen
According to the Art Loss Register, 40 percent of all art thefts takes place within Britain, and 19 percent occur in the United States.
Most Stolen Artist of All Time
The Art Loss Register reported in January 2012 that the artist with the most stolen artwork was Pablo Picasso, with 1,147 pieces either stolen, missing or in dispute over ownership. The number of pieces for Picasso was double the amount of the second most stolen artist of Nick Lawrence, where 557 art works are missing.
Value of the Art Stolen in Qubec
The black market in stolen art in the Canadian province of Quebec is valued at $19.5 Million (20 Million Canadian Dollars).
Value of Artwork Recovered by the Los Angeles Police Department
Over a course of 15 years, the two-person Art Theft Division of the Los Angeles Police Department recovered over $81 Million worth of art work that was stolen.
Number of Stolen Art Cases Handled by Police in Canada Each Year
Every year, Canadian police investigate between 90 to 100 cases of art theft.
Rhino Horn Valuation
A kilogram of rhino horn sold illegally was reported to be $97,000.