From 1995 until 2010, there have been an average of 35 museum thefts occurring around the world each year.

Source: Doreen Carvajal, “Art Theft Underworld Frustrates France,” New York Times, August 26, 2010.

Every year, there are an average of 20 or more museum art thefts in Paris.

Source:  Doreen Carvajal, “Art Theft Underworld Frustrates France,” New York Times, August 26, 2010.

Robert Whitman, a Former FBI agent who created the art-theft team, believes that the $6 billion estimated losses from art theft is low.

Whitman writes, “The $6 billion a year figure is probably low because it includes statistics supplied by only a third of the 192 member countries of the United Nations.”

Source:  Milton Esterow, “How to catch an art theif,” ART News, Summer 2010.

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According to the Art Loss Register, the most stolen art works around the world are Picasso pieces.

Source:  John Irish and Jean-Francois Rosnoblet, “France seeks Interpol help after $125 million art heist,” Reuters, May 22, 2010.

Paintings that are stolen from museums and private collections are generally not resold due to its illicit nature but used as collateral on other black market activities.  The painting usually serves as currency for 10 percent of its retail value.

Source:  Doren Carvajal, “Seeking Clues, Paris Examines Security After Art Theft,” New York Times, May 21, 2010.

According to Anthony Amore, director of security at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 90 percent of art thefts involves an insider at the museum.

Source:  Catherine Hickley and A. Craig Copetas, “Picasso, Matisse Paintings Stolen From Paris Museum,” Bloomberg, May 20, 2010.

From the 1990s to the late 2000s, around 25,000 gold and bronze coins were discovered buried in the Gaza Strip. Out of the 25,000 coins, an estimated 14,000, or 60 percent, were stolen or sold to black market dealers.

Source:  Erin Cunningham, “Gaza Strip moves to preserve its abundant ancient treasure,” Christian Science Monitor, April 24, 2010.

Since its inception in 2004 until 2010, the FBI’s Art Crime Team has recovered more than $142 Million in stolen artwork.  It completed between 30 to 40 cases and recovered over 2,400 art objects.

Source: Melanie D.G. Kaplan, “FBI Art Crime Team says residences are biggest target,” SmartPlanet, March 2, 2010.

In 2009, Dubai customs seized more than a hundred cultural artifacts that were smuggled from Iraq.

Source:  Tamara Walid, “Dubai foils new attempt to smuggle Iraq artefacts,” Reuters, February 10, 2010.