Art Theft Can Happen Here

Anthony Amore, Director of Security at the Isabella Steward Gardner Museum, has some interesting insights into why thieves steal art–and more importantly–why they’re sadly mistaken in their belief that art theft is a sexy Hollywood thriller.

The theft last week of priceless paintings, including works by Picasso, Matisse, and Modigliani, from the Paris Museum of Modern Art was not only a large-scale property theft, but another reminder that our cultural property remains vulnerable to criminals with little regard for our history as a civilization. … In order to properly protect the public against further attacks on our cultural heritage, it’s important that we understand who commits these crimes. Institutions need to realize that “it can happen here.”

Via The Huffington Post.