Market dispatch·France
French Riviera Renoir Heist Highlights Art Recovery Hurdles, Say UK Art Lawyers
After thieves stole Renoir works from a French Riviera museum on 8 September, Boodle Hatfield's Fred Clark told The Independent that such well-documented works are near-impossible to sell legitimately, a reminder of the role provenance, databases and recovery specialists play.
After thieves broke into a museum on the French Riviera in the early hours of 8 September and stole works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Boodle Hatfield's arts and culture partner Fred Clark spoke to The Independent about the aftermath. Clark noted that internationally famous, well-documented works are extremely difficult to move through legitimate channels, which makes recovery dependent on provenance records, databases, recovery specialists and law enforcement. The firm uses the case to underline the importance of due diligence in the art market.
