Eleven Egyptian Officials to Be Tried in Van Gogh Theft

CAIRO (AP).- Eleven culture officials from Egypt’s government have been formally charged in last month’s theft of a Vincent van Gogh painting from a Cairo museum that had no functioning security alarms. People look at the priceless golden mask of the famed King Tutankhamun, watched by security monitoring cameras, unseen, at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Security for Egypt’s cultural treasures is under scrutiny after the Aug. 21, 2010 theft of a van Gogh painting from Cairo’s Mahmoud Khalil Museum [...]

Egyptian Minister, Farouk Hosni, Questioned in Van Gogh Theft

CAIRO (AP).-Egyptian prosecutors questioned the culture minister for three hours over the theft of a Vincent van Gogh painting that has put him on the defensive over the state of museum security around the country. Farouk Hosni said he sought in Sunday night’s session to dispel accusations he failed to respond adequately to calls for increased security at Egyptian museums, including the one from where the van Gogh was stolen. No alarms and only seven of 43 security cameras were [...]

Egypt Deputy Minister, Mohsen Shalaan, Detained Over Van Gogh Theft

CAIRO.- Egypt’s state news agency reports the country’s top prosecutor has ordered a four-day detention of the deputy culture minister over the theft of a Vincent van Gogh painting. Thieves made off with the canvas, known by the titles of “Poppy Flowers” and “Vase with Flowers,” on Saturday from the Mahmoud Khalil Museum in Cairo. None of the museum’s alarms and only seven of 43 surveillance cameras were working at the time of the robbery. On Monday, General Prosecutor Abdel-Meguid [...]

Faulty Alarms Blamed for Van Gogh Theft at Mahmoud Khalil Museum in Egypt

CAIRO (AP).- None of the alarms and only seven out of 43 surveillance cameras were working at a Cairo museum where a Vincent van Gogh painting was stolen, Egypt’s top prosecutor said Sunday. Thieves made off with the canvas, known by the titles of “Poppy Flowers” and “Vase with Flowers,” on Saturday from the Mahmoud Khalil Museum in the Egyptian capital. Prosecutor general Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud told Egypt’s state news agency Sunday that the thieves used a box cutter to remove [...]

Yale University Says Suit Over Vincent Van Gogh’s Work Imperils Other Art

NEW HAVEN, CT.- The ownership of tens of billions of dollars of art and other goods could be thrown into doubt if a lawsuit seeking the return of a famous Vincent Van Gogh painting is successful, according to a court filing by Yale University. The Ivy League university sued in federal court in March to assert its ownership rights over “The Night Cafe” and to block a descendant of the original owner from claiming it. Pierre Konowaloff is the purported [...]