Leading Art Theft Investigators Coming To Stonehill
September 08, 2011
Two of the world's leading art theft investigators will be at the Martin Institute on Tuesday, September 20. Virginia Curry, a retired FBI Special Agent, and Dick Ellis, a veteran Scotland Yard detective, will discuss some of the world's most intriguing art theft cases, many of which they have investigated. The presentation will run from 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. and will be preceded by a reception from 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Art detectives investigate forgeries, stolen or smuggled art and archaeological thefts using the same investigative techniques other detectives would use. They also possess a specialized knowledge of art and of the particular stolen work.
According to the FBI, art theft is a growing problem that incurs annual losses upward of eight billion dollars, with cases that drag on for years, or, as much as 90 percent of the time, go unsolved.
Curry, who is a charter member of the FBI Art Crimes Task Force, has helped solve missing art cases from Atlantic City to Paris to Los Angeles. She has recovered official papers belonging to former president Jimmy Carter, authenticated jewelry worn by the late Anna Nicole Smith, and tracked down Charles Crutcher Jr., dubbed "Lord Peter the Cheater" by British tabloids, after he stole a 17th-Century painting.
Curry retired from the FBI in 2006 and is now an adviser on policing for the Association for Research into Crimes Against Art. She is a graduate of Rutgers University and recently received a master's degree in art history at Southern Methodist Uni¬versity.
Ellis first became involved in international art theft investigations in Hempstead, England in 1986. Two years later, he transferred to New Scotland Yard's Organized Crime Branch and shortly after, founded New Scotland Yard's Art and Antiques Squad. Over the years he has investigated several major, international art crime cases, including Munch's "Scream," which was stolen in Norway in 1994 by armed, masked gunmen. Ellis also led a major investigation which led to many convictions of antiquities smugglers operating out of Egypt.
In 2005 he joined with security and conservation specialists to form the Art Management Group, a full service art consultation firm. He is also a director of Art Resolve and Art Retrieval International Ltd.
Contact
For more information, contact Communications and Media Relations at 508-565-1321.