Arthur Brand, a detective specializing in art-related crimes, warns of a major shift in the methods used by art thieves. According to him, the nature of targets has evolved over the past decade.
“In the past, thieves stole paintings, but a painting is unique; you cannot cut it in two,” Brand explains. Today, criminals increasingly favor objects made of gold or silver, as well as precious stones. These items can be dismantled, melted down, or dispersed, making them harder to trace and recover.
This evolution reflects an increasingly sophisticated and opportunistic criminality that threatens all museums. Arthur Brand emphasizes that all museums have been, and will be, victims of thefts, highlighting the scale and persistence of this phenomenon.
