Last August, the art world stifled a collective scream of frustration when two paintings were stolen from the Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway. One of the Edvard Munch iconic Scream (1893) pictures was heisted, along with a Madonna (1893-4). Recent news has seen the arrest of four suspects, and Norwegian police are confident that convictions will follow. However, the works themselves remain missing.
According to the FBI, ‘The illicit trade in art and cultural artifacts is a major category of international crime. This includes theft of individual works of art, illegal export of objects protected by international laws, and pillaging of archaeological sites. Art theft is an international problem requiring cooperation at all levels of law enforcement.’
