In France, uncovered yet another crime of the century

[Artem]

In France, uncovered yet another crime of the century 16.11.11
News|Culture|Yuri Kovalenko, Paris

The auction attendants stole tons of works of art
 
The French Interior Ministry posted on its website photos 6 thousand works of art that were stolen over the past few years, the Paris auction house attendants "Drouot".

Among them are works by Courbet, Gauguin, Picasso, Matisse, Chagall, as well as sculptures, bronzes, jewelry, a few icons, silver utensils, and even fine wines and vintage dolls. All these treasures weighing 250 tons were found in containers at the warehouses of the capital suburb of Bagnolet in the course of a hundred of searches conducted by law enforcement. MIA promises to return the missing citizens who can prove that they owned these works.

For decades, the theft involved the so-called red collars, which were part of the Union commissioners 'Drouot', which transports values, their storage and trading.

They wore black shape with red collar and gold buttons. Today, more than 40 of them charged with organizing a criminal gang in theft of art works and their illegal sale.

Scale theft and impunity amazed even beat-Colonel Stephen Goffni, who heads the Central Bureau of the French police to fight theft of cultural property. The investigation is well aware that he was able to find only the very top of the iceberg of the true extent can only guess. Impunity is partly due to the fact that the monopoly on service auctions for one and a half centuries belonged Savoyard - natives of Savoy.

They got the privilege of Napoleon III, because in 1860 voted for the annexation of Savoy to France. Accomplices of the robbers were arrested and several auctioneers who let the hammer stolen items. The most valuable of them sometimes do not reach the auction, but through intermediaries came true or galleries, or individual clients. Police came to the conclusion that "Drouot" acted real art mafia.

Mainly of disappearing, says the coroner Alan Filibo, during the pre-auction transport collections from flats and houses to warehouses. All sorts of machinations on sales has long been a byword. Some auctioneers, coupled with Savoyard, representing the interests of clients were able to somehow manipulate bids - to raise prices or, alternatively, to hold them.

New CEO at home "Drouot" Olivier Lange held a "cleansing" drive out "red collar" and invited tenders to serve a new team. Without such drastic measures, he said, it is impossible to rehabilitate this Parisian "temple of the arts." Although severely damaged reputation, turnover, "Drouot" did not decreased. On average, two thousand auctions per year being sold over 800 thousand works of art. According to experts, the economic crisis prompts customers, including the growing number of Russian and Chinese to invest their capital in the "incorruptible" values ​​based on their growth rates. At your own risk - because the abundance of fakes on the art market and the questionable attribution of paintings and sculptures, auctioned, remain unsolved.

[Santa]

Сообщение от Artem

auction attendants stolen works of art tons

Сообщение от Artem

Among them are works by Courbet, Gauguin, Picasso, Matisse, Chagall,

Impressive!
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[Тихая Сапа]

I honestly do not understand the scheme of the crime.

How can you steal a scale that it was not noticed . The auction also entered into agreements with the owners, make an inventory of items offered , assumes any liability , etc. How can zamylit the auction of the same picture of Courbet, that neither the owners nor colleagues have not noticed (because not all the same there were bred )?

[uriart]

Silent Sapa, brazenly stole downtime.
That's it.

Included frost supposedly gone where no flag!