| Summary: | This research has a three-fold purpose: examine the characteristics of fine art theft in the United States, extrapolate potentially significant variables leading to stolen art recovery, and establish a foundational dataset that can be expanded for future studies. Few studies examine fine art theft and no recent criminological study on the topic has focused on the issue solely within the United States. As a result, the primary knowledge and insight into this type of crime in
this country derives from the experiences of various law enforcement personnel. While case studies can prove valuable in some types of analysis and in illustrating particular findings, the assumed translation of individual experiences to broader patterns generally lacks evidential support. Thus, this study seeks to fill this gap of knowledge by providing insight into the patterns for this crime and establishing a basic comparison to other types of theft. In this exploratory study, the
first research question focuses on determining the characteristics of art theft. Due to the necessity of using a convenience sample, the results cannot be generalized, but the findings do indicate certain patterns worth exploring in future research. Similarly, this study examined in more depth the circumstances of the seven cases in which law enforcement recovered the stolen art. A notable pattern revealed that, in almost all of the cases, public awareness of the theft either directly
or indirectly led to the return of the art. Given the known limitations of obtaining this initial dataset, a purpose of this study aims to use the process of this data collection to establish methods and contacts for use in expanding the dataset. Also, the findings inform how the dimensions and indicators need to be altered for future studies. Overall, this study succeeds in providing some insight into patterns of fine art theft and stolen art recovery in the United States, but
contributes most in establishing an informed direction for future research.
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