Art Crime Literature: A General Overview

This chapter will introduce the reader to the world of art crime literature: a multi-faceted world where fact can sometimes read like fiction. The complexity of the topic has generated a growing library of case studies, analyses, documented hunts for stolen art and also memoirs. Added to this is the evolving presence of art crime literature presented through social media platforms, which serves to underscore how art crime is recognised as a global issue, a crime against all humanity. The chapter will draw on a selection of texts produced when the art market started heating up in the 1960s, where the price paid for art and cultural property reached levels never seen before and then continue to the present day where scholarly attention on art crime has been steadily increasing. Texts produced by various stakeholders within the field of art crime such as personnel from law enforcement agencies and cultural institutions are also included, reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of this specialised area of criminality. Together, these texts offer a general overview of art crime literature and provide a starting point for those wanting to discover more about the phenomenon which is art crime.