Thieves, Vandals and Idiots: A Criminal History of Russian Art

Russian crimes in the art world are characterized by stupidity, accident, and drunkenness. These are stories about how to steal 602 diamonds from important icons and hide behind the iconostasis—only to be caught by the police because of hunger and thirst. Or how to break into the Hermitage and cut a canvas with a painting out of it, then throw a piece of canvas at a prominent politician. Or even how to get drunk, smash a museum window, fall asleep on antique furniture, and get arrested with a bronze statuette. In this book, Sofia Bagdasarova tells about real crimes in Russian museums, and she also provides interviews with anonymous participants in the art market, revealing details of the shadow antique business.