
Show Notes
You think you know Vincent van Gogh, bro? We go deep into the Vincent van Gogh stacks; his letters, his Neunen studio diagrams, alternate and credible versions of how he lost part of an ear, his less discussed "Peasant Painter" period when he moved back in with his parents and his studio was adjacent to a cesspit. Mara reveals van Gogh's buddy Paul Gauguin as the total creep he was -- a helluva painter, but a terrible creep of a man. The painting at the center of our heist, 'The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring' triggers some flashbacks of scary paintings in Mara and Baker's family homes. Our news is full of bad fakes of renowned artists, plus the story of a young couple who mistook an installation as an invitation to "interact" and leave some marks of their own. Awkward! Next, it's onto the 2020 theft of Van Gogh's 'The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring', a smash and grab job by some casually dressed guy with a sledgehammer. We tell you everything we know, including the most recent update direct from Arthur Brand himself, aka: the Indiana Jones of the art world!/p> Episode References ART The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring, by Vincent van Gogh The Potato Eaters, by Vincent van Gogh Weaver, Interior with Three Small Windows, by Vincent van Gogh Sunflowers (1887), by Vincent van Gogh
NEWS Man admits stealing Andy Warhol paintings and attempting to sell fake versions on eBay | The Independent All 18 works at show of Spanish artist Maruja Mallo were fakes, say experts | The Guardian Magic: The Gathering Artist Issues Apology After Art Theft Claims | Bleeding Cool News Young couple mistakenly vandalizes $440,000 painting in South Korea | Yahoo! What Do You Do With a Stolen van Gogh? This Thief Knows | New York Times
OTHER Peasant Painter (Biographical Info) | Van Gogh Museum Unsolved Art Heists: The Missing Paintings of Vincent van Gogh | artnet To Theo van Gogh. Nuenen, on or about Thursday, 20 March 1884. | Vincent van Gogh Letters The Doctor and Amy travel back in time to meet Vincent Van Gogh and face an invisible monster that only the painter can see. | YouTube Security video from the Netherlands’ Singer Laren Museum shows the thief smashing his way through glass doors before leaving with the 1884 artwork tucked under his arm | NBC News
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More from Art Crime Podcast
Mara is distracted by Baker and his "butt ball" which is actually just Baker trying to balance on a yoga ball after way too much coffee. BERTHE MORISOT! Learn her name and please use it in equal measure in future references to French impressionists. As you might imagine, she endured all kinds of patriarchal BS. Despite that, she crushed it! She was critically acclaimed and admired by her peers. Mara tells us more about the paint and techniques used in the [to be stolen] Morisot painting, 'Summer's Day' and she pronounces A LOT of French names in this episode too. Baker is baffled by the concept of 'Queen’s consent' which is a super dumb parliamentary thing. And finally, the theft! It's a heist that makes a statement and forces compromise. It also serves as a warning to get your damn affairs in order before you die! Episode References ART 'Summer's Day' (1879), by Berthe Morisot Berthe Morisot Exhibit (Feb 2019 to May 2019)at Dallas Museum of Art Hanging the Laundry out to Dry, 1875, by Berthe Morisot Self-Portrait, 1885, by Berthe Morisot Reading, 1873, by Berthe Morisot The Boating Party, 1893-1894, by Mary Cassatt
Baker is a little disappointed about gatekeeping and elitism in the art community and wishes everyone would stop freaking out about NFTs -- and as usual, Mara is the voice of reason who talks him off the ledge. In short, art is for everyone, damnit! We discuss the life of renowned sculptor, Henry Moore, and we pry into his World War I experience and wonder how it may have really influenced his work, and then Baker gets really excited about tank warfare, though to be clear he does not condone war! We share the story of a sleep-deprived roadtrip wherein Mara and Baker hallucinated deer and big horn sheep and then we dive into the latest news which makes us ask the question; do museums even know what they've really lost to art crime? We pause for a Star Wars reference, then it's onto the crime! We're impressed by the speed and precision required to steal and dismantle a two ton sculpture in the middle of the night, and then we wrap things up with Baker's thirst for validation and 5 star reviews on Apple Podcasts Episode References ART Tube Shelter Perspective, by Henry Moore Shelter Scene: Bunks and Sleepers, by Henry Moore Shelterers in the Tube, by Henry Moore Reclining Figure, by Henry Moore Rock Drill, by Jacob Epstein Star Wars Prequel Concept Art Designs, by Doug Chiang
It's the Art Crime Podcast 11th Episode Spectacular! Starring Georgia O'Keeffe, George Clooney, Boris Johnson, Pierneef, Arthur Wesley Dow, featuring Alfred Stieglitz, and as always your hosts, Mara and Baker! We celebrate Georgia O'Keeffe's amazing life and career, we roll our eyes at Alfred Stieglitz, and everyone is pretty tired of people referencing vagina in her flower paintings. In the news, we side with George Clooney and agree it's probably a good time for the Elgin marbles to be returned to Athens, and then we discover and fall in love with the paintings of South African artist Pierneef after reading about secretary-general Ace Magashule’s former bodyguard's theft of a Pierneef painting. And finally, the case of the Georgia O'Keefe painting thefts in 2004 and the sad ending for a former museum employee and desperate opportunist. This didn't turn out great for anyone. Episode References ART Red Canna 1919, by Georgia O'Keeffe No. 21 (Palo Duro Canyon), by Georgia O'Keeffe Red and Orange Streak, by Georgia O'Keeffe New York Skyscrapers, by Georgia O'Keeffe Famous Paintings, by Jacobus Hendrik Pierneef Ipswich Prints: Lily, 1901, Arthur Wesley Dow
Without Nice, there is no Matisse. We marvel at the roller coaster life and art of Henri Matisse and especially the massive amount of bullsh*t his wife Amelie had to put up with! To his credit and to the dismay of many, Matisse was an artist who refused to compromise and gave all of himself to his art, once telling an interviewer, "I do not literally paint that table, but the emotion it produces upon me." Our thief this episode has a real case of the "sneaky sneakies" according to Mara and we see a similar passion between the thief and our artist, Matisse. In art crime news, a God is returned to Nepal, charges are dropped over a Klimt painting theft, and Walmart steals a portrait from @artbyrizzo and sells it on printed canvasses, how dare! Episode References ART Pastoral, by Henri Matisse Still Life with Gourds (Nature morte aux coloquintes), by Henri Matisse The Music Lesson, by Henri Matisse The Cut-Outs, by Henri Matisse Salome Dancing before Herod, by Gustave Moreau
Baker confuses didgeridoo noises for throat singing and Mara suggests he starts a YouTube channel for old ladies who knit. We go deep into the intense drama of Vermeer's personal life and wonder how many priceless loaves of bread you could buy today in exchange for a Vermeer. Our news items are happy and sad this week; we discuss the recovery of an art theft we discussed way back in Episode 2, and then we say goodbye to the legendary art detective Charles Hill who died on February 20, 2021. RIP, Mr. Hill! Baker imagines a love triangle and betrayal lurking in the Vermeer painting, Lady Writing a Letter with Her Maid, but Mara sees something hilariously meta in it all. It's the painting so nice, thieves stole it twice! First, by intellectual recalcitrant turned freedom fighter, Rose Dugdale and her Irish Republican Army compatriots. Next, it’s an infamous Irish career criminal nicknamed "The General", Martin Cahill. Finally after two hits, the estate has the good sense to leave the painting's security to the National Gallery of Ireland, where it hangs today. Episode References ART Fait d’hiver, by Jeff Koons Lady Writing a Letter with Her Maid, by Vermeer