The Art Loss Register (ALR) is the world's largest database of stolen art. A computerized international database that captures information about lost and stolen art, antiques, and collectibles, the ALR is a London-based, independent, for-profit corporate offspring of the New York–based, nonprofit International Foundation for Art Research (IFAR). The range of functions served by ALR has grown as the number of its listed items has increased. The database is used by collectors, the art trade, insurers, and law enforcement agencies worldwide. In 1991, IFAR helped create the ALR as a commercial enterprise to expand and market the database. IFAR managed ALR's U.S. operations through 1997. In 1998, the ALR assumed full responsibility for the IFAR database, although IFAR retains ownership. In 1992, the database comprised only 20,000 items, but it grew in size nearly tenfold during its first decade.

History

The first steps toward the ALR began with the establishment of IFAR in New York in 1969. Among other explicit goals, IFAR was created to compile information about stolen art.Yarrow, Andrew L
"A Lucrative Crime Grows Into a Costly Epidemic,"
''New York Times.'' March 20, 1990. In response to the growth of international art thefts, IFAR began publishing the "Stolen Art Alert" in 1976. By 1990, IFAR was updating its catalogue of stolen art ten times a year. The magnitude of the problem overwhelmed what had grown to be over 20,000 manual records. While IFAR had successfully recorded the details of losses, that was only a good first step. In 1991, the ALR was established in London as a commercial company, earning fees from insurers and theft victims. Its founding shareholders included insurance and auction houses, which some think is a conflict of interest (

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, and it has additional salerooms in New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Milan, Geneva, Shan ...

). The majority of shares are owned by its founder, Julian Radcliffe.Tracking Stolen Art, for Profit, and Blurring a Few Lines, ''New York Times'', September 20, 2013
/ref> Significant capital investment was needed so that IFAR could be computerized and so that the database made available to worldwide law enforcement agencies.

Development

In response to the growth and development of IFAR, museum officials revised some policies based on the assumption that discussing theft would scare away potential donors. The AFR initially formed a partnership with the ALR, but they split after disagreements over strategy and control issues. The change from policies of secrecy to ones that emphasize openness was gradual, mirroring an expectation that publicizing theft is likely to promote recovery. The ALR has been widely criticised for its methods and the actions of its chairman, Radcliffe. The ALR has consistently lost money but for the personal cash infusions of its chairman. ;Selected timeline * 1990: Artworks stolen from the

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts, which houses significant examples of European, Asian, and American art. Its collection includes paintings, sculpture, tapestries, and decorative arts. It was found ...

in Boston includes

Vermeer Johannes Vermeer ( , ; see below; also known as Jan Vermeer; October 1632 – 15 December 1675) was a Dutch painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. He is considered one of the greatest painters of the Dutch ...

's ''

Concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

'', three

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

s and five works by

Degas Edgar Degas (, ; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, ; 19 July 183427 September 1917) was a French people, French Impressionism, Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings. Degas also produced bronze sculptures, Print ...

. * 1989: IFAR received reports of about 5,000 thefts. * 2003: The ALR obtains information about a Sisley stolen from the Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Orléans in Orleans, France. The museum could not afford the fee, and the Sisley was not recovered.

Criticism of methods

The approach adopted by the ALR has been criticised. The ALR has contacted owners of stolen art, saying it had information but not revealing it until a fee was paid. In another instance, the ALR lied to

Sotheby's Sotheby's ( ) is a British-founded multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine art, fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...

, saying that paintings were not stolen. The paintings were then shipped to London, where they were seized. The ALR has likened this approach to the police misleading a suspect during an investigation.

Notes

References

* Feliciano, Hector. (1997).
The Lost Museum: The Nazi Conspiracy to Steal the World's Greatest Works of Art
'. New York:

Basic Books Basic Books is a book publisher founded in 1950 and located in New York City, now an imprint of Hachette Book Group. It publishes books in the fields of psychology, philosophy, economics, science, politics, sociology, current affairs, and his ...

. ; * Houpt, Simon and Julian Radcliffe. (2006).
Museum of the Missing: a History of Art Theft
'.'' New York: Sterling Publishing. ; * Nicholas, Lynn H. (1994)
''The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe’s Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War.''
New York City:

Vintage Books Vintage Books is a trade paperback publishing imprint of Penguin Random House originally established by Alfred A. Knopf in 1954. The company was acquired by Random House in April 1960, and a British division was set up in 1990. After Random Ho ...

. ;

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