THE ARCHIVE BY COUNTRY
Published reports from our archive, newest first.
A country may refer to the theft, recovery, return or legal proceedings. A case can be linked to more than one country.
9 reports
The case concerns 24 disputed works lent by the Toporovski collection to Ghent’s Museum of Fine Arts in 2017. In April 2026 prosecutors alleged that the works had been forged, citing laboratory analyses. The collectors had previously defended their authenticity. Image shows a work from the disputed collection, Belga Pictures.
Michel Draguet proposed that Michelangelo painted the Spirituali Pietà. Art historian David Ekserdjian disputed that attribution, leaving the authorship contested.
Belgian authorities reported convictions arising from investigations of two Brussels galleries. Seized items included forged bronzes and lithographs falsely attributed to Joan Miró, as well as sculptures falsely attributed to Niki de Saint Phalle and Arman. Image shows seized works, Belgian Federal Public Service Economy.
Belgian police recovered Pablo Picasso’s Tête and Marc Chagall’s L’homme en prière in an Antwerp basement. Both paintings had been stolen from a private home in Tel Aviv in 2010. Photo of the recovered Picasso: Namur prosecutor’s office via Reuters and The Guardian.
Art Gallery of Ontario returns van Kessel still life to David family — artwork or case documentation from the linked image source. Image source ↗
The AGO restituted Still Life with Flowers, attributed to Jan van Kessel the Elder, to Dagobert and Martha David’s family. Research established a sale under duress during the German occupation of Belgium.
INTERPOL issued an appeal after Madonna del Silenzio, a 16th-century panel depicting the Holy Family, was stolen from St Ludgerus Church on 11 January. The attribution to Michelangelo or his pupil Marcello Venusti is uncertain. Photo of the stolen panel: INTERPOL.
Belgian authorities returned Sleeping Nude and Seated Nudes to the heirs of Emile Henri David. The museum had kept both as temporary loans after an Antwerp retrospective in 1940. An official investigation located David’s children. Photo of the handover: Belgian Federal Public Service Economy.
Museum exterior: Van Buuren Museum; Flemish Art Collection Image source ↗
Card dated to the incident described in the source: a burglary taking paintings including James Ensor’s Shrimps and Shells.
René Magritte, Olympia, reproduced in RTVE’s report on the 2009 theft. Credit: RTVE / agencies. Image source ↗
René Magritte’s Olympia was returned to Belgian authorities through art expert Janpiet Callens. The painting had been taken at gunpoint from the artist’s former home in Jette on 24 September 2009. According to the report, people claiming to be the thieves approached Callens after failing to sell it. The return announcement did not report a conviction.
