Art in Demand. The Loudest Thefts of Masterpieces

Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa," Edvard Munch's "The Scream," Raphael's "The Mute" — what do these paintings have in common, besides being world masterpieces? They are united by the fact that they have all once fallen into the hands of art thieves. The theft of an art object is also a kind of art. Readers can expect true crime stories from the lives of professional cultural property thieves and desperate adventurers who outsmart museum guards and alarm systems, and replace originals with copies, etc.
Fortunately, a significant portion of the stolen items is returned to their owners. This happens because art carabinieri get involved in the case. Such a police department, investigating exclusively crimes related to art objects, exists only in Italy — a country where such thefts are reported every day. Fabio Isman — a journalist who has covered high-profile events in Italy for many years and has written about art — is personally acquainted with many art carabinieri and is better informed than anyone else about the most interesting cases in their work.