Art Crime Facts

Art crime represents the third highest grossing criminal enterprise worldwide, behind only drugs and arms trafficking. It brings in $2-6 billion per year, most of which goes to fund international organized crime syndicates.

Most art crime since the 1960s is perpetrated either by, or on behalf of, international organized crime syndicates. They either use stolen art for resale, or to barter on a closed black market for an equivalent value of goods or services. Individually instigated art crimes are rare, and art crimes perpetrated for private collectors are rarest of all.

One of the greatest problems is that neither the general public, nor government officials, realize the severity of art crime.  Art crime funds all organized crime enterprises, including terrorism. And yet it is often dismissed as a victimless crime, because it is not understood.

Italy has by far the most art crime, with approximately 20,000 art thefts reported each year.  Russia has the second most, with approximately 2000 art thefts reported per year. Italy is the only country whose government takes art crime as seriously as it should.  Italy’s Carabinieri are by far the most successful art squad worldwide, employing over 300 agents full time. Other countries have had great success with their art squads, despite lack of governmental support, while many countries do not have a single officer dedicated to art crime, the third largest criminal enterprise worldwide.

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Art Crime Facts: (Facts compiled from sources including Interpol, the FBI, Scotland Yard, Carabinieri, independent research and ARCA projects.)

142,258
Number of Forged Works of Art Recovered in Italy in 2001

20,000-30,000
Number of Reported Art Thefts per Year in Italy

845,838
Number of Reported Art Thefts in Italy since 1969

$6-8 billion
Estimate of Annual Criminal Income through Art Crime
(NOTE: this only covers known crimes—a greater percentage of crime go undiscovered, making this a low estimate)

3rd Highest-Grossing Criminal Trade over last 40 years (behind only Drugs and Arms)

1961
The year in which Organized Crime first became proactively involved in art crime.  Since then most art crime is perpetrated by, or on behalf of, Organized Crime, thereby fueling their other activities, including the drug and arms trades and terrorism.

Art Crime Funds Terrorism
The IRA are just the most obvious example, but art crime, particularly the trade in illicit antiquities, is a funding source for fundamentalist terrorists in the North Africa and Middle East.

$300-500 million
Estimated value of artworks stolen during one night from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.

0
Number of Art Police Employed by Most Countries

50,000
Minimum Number of Reported Art Thefts Worldwide Each Year

The United States
The World’s Primary Art Consumer, For Both Legitimate and Illicit Goods

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