Tuesday, April 5, 2011

"The Skylight Caper": Introduction to the Unsolved 1972 Theft of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

This blog examines Canada’s largest art theft, the 1972 unsolved theft of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, comparing published information to interviews with two principals involved with the museum and the investigation. It explores the ideas proposed in the last four decades as to who may have committed the theft and the alleged whereabouts of 17 missing paintings, including paintings by Rembrandt, Corot, Rubens, and Courbet and 39 pieces of jewelry and silver. The eight-part article describes the history of museum thefts in Canada, how the crime was committed, and some characteristics that may have made this museum and these paintings a target for crime.