Art Thieves Are Only Cool in the Movies

According to artinfo.com, these are the top five art heist flicks:

• The Thomas Crown Affair
• Entrapment
• Ocean's 12
• Once a Thief
• Hudson Hawk

See also: Tower Heist with Eddy Murphy and Ben Stiller.

But in spite of how it may be represented in Hollywood movies, art theft is neither glamorous nor heroic; it's a serious and dangerous criminal enterprise. The World War II era was rife with instances of theft by the Nazis; and several high-profile cases, such as a daring raid in 1990 on the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, have brought attention to these singular crimes.

Independent audio producer Nancy Greenleese profiles Howard Spiegler, a lawyer who has developed unique expertise in recovering high profile works of art, including many with complicated international histories. Listen with the audio player above.

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