[MSN] {Spam?} Big art theft in Zurich raises fears for smaller museums

[MSN]

 Big art theft in Zurich raises fears for smaller museums

The Associated Press
Tuesday, February 12, 2008

ZURICH: The empty white walls where four multimillion dollar paintings hung
emphasized the forlornness of the museum director Lukas Gloor and the art
world in general.

The cause of the empty walls and the empty feeling: three armed men who
shattered confidence in security systems Sunday with one of the biggest art
robberies ever.

Interpol said Tuesday that the E.G. Bührle Collection was just one of many
smaller, poorly protected museums in Europe unprepared for criminals enticed
by record art prices. While the robbers have almost no chance of reselling
such well-known goods, they are forcing galleries, collections and other
homes of art to contemplate drastic changes.

"The museum has state-of-the-art security against theft, but not against
armed robbery," Gloor said Tuesday as he showed off the E.G. Bührle
Collection for the first time since the robbers made off with paintings by
Cézanne, Degas, van Gogh and Monet.

Only scratches on the walls remain where the robbers surprised the art world
with their audacity and speed, and stole paintings worth 180 million Swiss
francs, or about $163 million.

"In Europe we just didn't have to plan for such an attack on a museum," said
Marco Cortesi of the Zurich police. The entire robbery, he added, took less
than three minutes.

The museum's security included burglar alarms to protect against break-ins
during the night and an alarm system that sounded at the police station if a
picture was moved. But officials refused to say whether there were guards or
cameras operating during the day.

Experts say these problems are typical of under-funded museums unprepared
for thieves enticed by record prices.

Karl-Heinz Kind, an art theft expert at Interpol, said robbing a museum was
much easier than holding up a bank or cash transport, which are "better
protected, with guards carrying guns, than perhaps a small museum would be."

Part of the appeal of museums, especially the outstanding private
collections that abound in Europe, is their accessibility and an atmosphere
encouraging reflection and appreciation. The same holds true for cathedrals
and churches housing untold riches on the continent, meaning authorities
must carefully balance considerations of security and art.

"A museum or a church is not made to be a prison," Kind said in a telephone
interview from Lyon, where Interpol has its headquarters. "You can imagine
screening luggage or clothes under machines, or X-raying them. You could
imagine a lot of things. You could imagine in churches or cathedrals to put
the statues of saints behind iron bars. That would certainly increase
security. But is it really the purpose of a museum?"

Gloor said the museum was having to rethink its security and was considering
limiting visits to groups by prior arrangement. But he said he feared going
too far.

"I see the intimate character that we used to have in this house threatened
when we increase security," he said.

The FBI estimates the market for stolen art at $6 billion annually, and
Interpol has about 30,000 pieces of stolen art in its database. While only a
fraction of the stolen art is ever found, the theft of iconic objects,
especially by force, is rarer because of the intense police work that
follows and because the works are so difficult to sell.

http://www.iht.com/