Have you ever wondered which are the most expensive stolen paintings in the world? Collectors, scholars, gallerists and curious particulars have always been attracted to the works of famous artists. We can enjoy most of these pieces in renowned galleries and museums around the world, but others, either because they were stolen, destroyed or missing, we have to settle with admiring reproductions or photographs. In this particular list we’ve decided to rank the most valuable stolen paintings in the world, which also happen to be very well known, just like the artists who crafted them.
From Van Gogh to Rembrandt, the artists on this countdown are some of the most celebrated in history, and it is no surprise that their work’s estimated worth comes in millions. But, if you want to know what art is being sold for at the moment, just check out our list on the Top 10 Art Sales in 2013
Are you curious about the most expensive stolen paintings in the world? Let’s get artistic and take a look at the countdown.
6. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney Murals
Painted in 1914, Gertrude Vanderbilt commissioned these murals to the renowned painter and illustrator, Maxfield Parrish, to decorate a room of her Long Island estate. In July 2002, two of these murals which were exhibited at a Gallery in West Hollywood, California, were cut from their frames and stolen. With an estimated combined value of $4 million, the stolen murals are some of the most expensive paintings to have been stolen in the world.
5. View of Auvers-sur-Oise
Worth nearly $5 million, View of Auvers-sur-Oise is a painting by Paul Cézanne which was actually never signed nor dated by the famous French artist, as he never considered that the piece was quite finished. Nevertheless, there’s no doubt about the author of the work and its value. This particular painting used to be exhibited at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England, until its theft on December 31st, 1999. As a matter of fact, the burglars were quite clever since they took advantage of the Millennium celebrations that were taking place that night and used them as a distraction.
4. View of the Sea at Scheveningen
This valuable painting by Vincent Van Gogh was stolen in 2002, together with Congreation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen, from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Although two men were convicted for the robbery a year after the theft, the paintings have not been recovered yet. The heist, which amounted to an estimated $30 million, included some of the most expensive stolen paintings ever.
3. The Storm on the Sea of Galilee
The Storm on the Sea of Galilee is a painting by Rembrandt, worth around $5 million, that disappeared from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1990. This famous and valuable painting by the Dutch artist shows a scene depicted in the New Testament, more particularly in the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Mark, which describes the miracle performed by Jesus Christ. of calming a storm on the Galilee Sea.
2. Poppy Flowers
With an estimated value of $50 to $55 million, Poppy Flowers by Vincent Van Gogh is one of the most expensive stolen paintings in the world. It was stolen from the Mahmoud Khalil Museum in Cairo, Egypt, in 2010. But this is not the first time that the famous painting has been missing. Back in 1977, Poppy Flowers was stolen from the same museum and recovered a decade later in Kuwait.
1. The Concert
Around 1664, Johannes Vermeer, the acclaimed Dutch Golden Age artist, painted what is nowadays the most expensive stolen painting in the world: The Concert. This pricy work was stolen in 1990 from the Isabelle Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, along with several other pieces of various artists including Rembrandt, Flinck, Degas, and Manet. The estimated value of The Concert is of $200 million.
