Where Art Thou

For most of my life, whenever I heard about theft of famous art pieces, I wondered why someone would steal a famous painting. A car can be chopped down for parts. Private jewelry can be fenced. But what do you do with a famous painting? Keep it in a closet, afraid that someone will see it and turn you in? After all, the people who would appreciate the value of the painting the most would also know it is stolen.

But then someone explained it to me. It’s a kidnap for ransom. And I suppose there are also people in the world who are unlikely to have someone visiting their estate who would feel comfortable going to authorities or testifying.

Associated Press writer Jonathan Lopez reports on a new book:

"Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures" (Crown, 336 pages, $25), by Robert K. Wittman with John Shiffman

Wittman used to be in the FBI. "with John Shiffman" tells us that Shiffman is really the guy who did the writing to the book, based on Shiffman's notes and input.

Adopting the false but carefully documented identity of Bob Clay, a shady art dealer with a taste for contraband, Wittman successfully infiltrated domestic and international criminal networks to recover more than $225 million worth of stolen cultural property — items ranging from a Rembrandt self-portrait to an original copy of the U.S. Bill of Rights.

Sounds interesting. I smell a movie. How about one of those Tim Burton-directed, Johnny Depp-starring, Danny Elfman-scored deals? Nah... Burton does best with original material.