Chef's kiss for both French art heists (or any art heists really) and your piece. I feel much less guilty about enjoying every detail of this story of jewels nicked (!) from The Louvre (!!) before croissant-o-clock. Honestly, delicieux.
As an art historian I am very sad about any art theft…BUT also a hundred percent obsessed and want every detail available and was a little too gleeful about this news. I mean! The Louvre! At 9:30 am! Are they amazing geniuses or really oblivious, we will ever know?!? What delicious audacity! Also love the Americans, so amazing - assume you have watched the Diplomat with Kerri Russel playing the most incredible of all hot messes? I’m behind, have not started season 3 but was glued to 1&2.
i love this idea that i've seen in the commentary about this that all of this "belongs" to france...as though the stones were found in france, and not all over the world through colonialism. obviously public art is great (and i love seeing crown jewels in person), but i truly cannot be bothered to care much about a bunch of gems taken from elsewhere to make the crown look pretty!! i care more about Ocean's 8 than i do whether these get returned.
I'm always curious what high-end heisters do with their heisted goods. How's tiara resaleability anyway? How do they blackmarket that shit without getting caught? Is it for funsies or for ransom or just for the pleasure of prancing about the house à la Eugénie?
Apparently they part them out, same way car thieves sell car parts to chop shops. Wouldn't work with a painting very well, but a tiara with all those little stones, yes.
Ahh, that makes sense. Some of those pearls and emeralds are huge and fairly distinctive — seems like they'd have to be recut to be sold without a trace. (Like sanding off the VIN?) There must be a whole world of black market gem and jewelry experts tinkering away behind the scenes. Fascinating.
If you are interested in reading more, check out art historian Noah Charney. He specializes in art heists and forgeries His novel The Art Thief is great and he has a non-fiction book about the most stolen painting (the Mystic Lamb) that is in my TBR.
This was delightful to read, and I was so tickled that you enjoy many of the same references that come to mind on the subject. I LOVE How to Steal a Million (had a huge crush on Peter O'Toole after) and watched it similarly on an Audrey Hepburn spree. I am a scaredy cat though, so Charade freaked me out for weeks and Wait Until Dark was subsequently left off the list. Somehow heist movies feeling like a guilty pleasure grow more legitimate when you (smarter than me, and yes, funny!) like them too. The newsworthiness makes me think of when I was a teen living in Dubai, and a vehicle crashed into a glass wall for a robbery. It was all the news or anyone could talk about for ages, because it was unheard of in such a safe place.
heist movies are an ART form, Cait! and agh i think Charade is my fav of hepburn's, and *not* just because of her reading of "i am having a nervous breakdown" from inside the telephone booth, tyvm! x
I tell people all the time my husband and I haven’t loved any show we have watched together since The Americans. Their chemistry was outstanding! We haven’t watched it since it ended so maybe we should rewatch too.
when i was in high school, some guys in my grade proposed to do an art heist for their senior project. the proposal was rejected and ever since then, there's been a void in my soul. this heist truly filled that void because it balanced the scales of justice in the coolest fuckin way.
beautifully written. might i say, as heart-warming as the actual heist (ok interpol i know it is bad and criminal and all that). clara, you just earned yourself a new subscriber
I can’t look away the heist is just too chic and so French. Fencing jewels in the year 2025- I have been revived. (But yes Big Theft is “bad”)
not Big Theft like there's a whole lobby behind it i'm screaming lolll
I look forward to this documentary in a couple years.
Chef's kiss for both French art heists (or any art heists really) and your piece. I feel much less guilty about enjoying every detail of this story of jewels nicked (!) from The Louvre (!!) before croissant-o-clock. Honestly, delicieux.
croissant-o-clock!!! a new term has entered my lexicon i fear! x
Hahaha, I am very désolé :)
As an art historian I am very sad about any art theft…BUT also a hundred percent obsessed and want every detail available and was a little too gleeful about this news. I mean! The Louvre! At 9:30 am! Are they amazing geniuses or really oblivious, we will ever know?!? What delicious audacity! Also love the Americans, so amazing - assume you have watched the Diplomat with Kerri Russel playing the most incredible of all hot messes? I’m behind, have not started season 3 but was glued to 1&2.
similarly behind on The Diplomat but i've had a crush on rufus sewell for most of my life tbqh so i have been generally seated for that show x
Season 3 is a cracker - I have been staying up way too late to watch it
i love this idea that i've seen in the commentary about this that all of this "belongs" to france...as though the stones were found in france, and not all over the world through colonialism. obviously public art is great (and i love seeing crown jewels in person), but i truly cannot be bothered to care much about a bunch of gems taken from elsewhere to make the crown look pretty!! i care more about Ocean's 8 than i do whether these get returned.
do NOT even get me started on that bit!
Call me naive, but I’m personally hoping the thieves are revolutionaries who intend to rematriate the jewels to their countries of origin.
I'm always curious what high-end heisters do with their heisted goods. How's tiara resaleability anyway? How do they blackmarket that shit without getting caught? Is it for funsies or for ransom or just for the pleasure of prancing about the house à la Eugénie?
Apparently they part them out, same way car thieves sell car parts to chop shops. Wouldn't work with a painting very well, but a tiara with all those little stones, yes.
Ahh, that makes sense. Some of those pearls and emeralds are huge and fairly distinctive — seems like they'd have to be recut to be sold without a trace. (Like sanding off the VIN?) There must be a whole world of black market gem and jewelry experts tinkering away behind the scenes. Fascinating.
Or maybe someone's sitting in their breakfast nook having coffee and reading the morning paper wearing the emerald ensemble intact. Also fascinating.
That's the scene I most want to be true!
With paintings, some rich person just wants to have the art piece and doesn't want to pay $50mm for it. They don't care if anyone knows they have it.
kept in a secret vault/lair somewhere ... the aesthetics are something, at least! x
The unabashed sense of entitlement it would take to self-justify that sort of transaction is wild.
If you are interested in reading more, check out art historian Noah Charney. He specializes in art heists and forgeries His novel The Art Thief is great and he has a non-fiction book about the most stolen painting (the Mystic Lamb) that is in my TBR.
"if i am interested in reading more" ... Irene, i am constantly interested! thank you for the rec! x
I am reveling in pure delight over the whole shebang. "Ni dieux, ni maîtres," ni sécurité indeed.
"ni sécurité" ... svp!!!
Hi I neeeeed you to write a book. I could read you forever.
from your lips to god's ears, Gabby!!! x
This was delightful to read, and I was so tickled that you enjoy many of the same references that come to mind on the subject. I LOVE How to Steal a Million (had a huge crush on Peter O'Toole after) and watched it similarly on an Audrey Hepburn spree. I am a scaredy cat though, so Charade freaked me out for weeks and Wait Until Dark was subsequently left off the list. Somehow heist movies feeling like a guilty pleasure grow more legitimate when you (smarter than me, and yes, funny!) like them too. The newsworthiness makes me think of when I was a teen living in Dubai, and a vehicle crashed into a glass wall for a robbery. It was all the news or anyone could talk about for ages, because it was unheard of in such a safe place.
heist movies are an ART form, Cait! and agh i think Charade is my fav of hepburn's, and *not* just because of her reading of "i am having a nervous breakdown" from inside the telephone booth, tyvm! x
I tell people all the time my husband and I haven’t loved any show we have watched together since The Americans. Their chemistry was outstanding! We haven’t watched it since it ended so maybe we should rewatch too.
Your writing is delicious
when i was in high school, some guys in my grade proposed to do an art heist for their senior project. the proposal was rejected and ever since then, there's been a void in my soul. this heist truly filled that void because it balanced the scales of justice in the coolest fuckin way.
As soon as I saw the title of this, my mind immediately jumped to How to Steal a Million! Such an amazing classic.
beautifully written. might i say, as heart-warming as the actual heist (ok interpol i know it is bad and criminal and all that). clara, you just earned yourself a new subscriber