Tracking global art crimes, thefts and vandalism: The Urgent Matter database
Urgent Matter’s tracker follows major crimes targeting cultural property, from museum heists and forgeries to activist vandalism, across the art world.
Law and Crime
The global art world is facing a growing wave of crime-related incidents ranging from museum heists at the likes of the Louvre Museum and forged masterpieces to fraud, money-laundering and vandalism of public art.
Although precise figures remain elusive, since many crimes go unreported, the FBI estimates that $4 billion to $6 billion of art is stolen each year worldwide.
Meanwhile, the database maintained by Interpol now lists almost 57,000 stolen works of art, with a significant portion never recovered.
This tracker brings together confirmed cases of theft, forgery, vandalism, fraud and institutional breaches affecting the art world. Each entry links to our original reporting and will be updated as the cases evolve.
Museum Heists
Oakland Museum of California Theft
Date: October 15, 2025
What Happened: Burglars broke into the Oakland Museum’s off-site storage facility just before 3:30 a.m. local time on October 15 and made off with historic artifacts, including Native American baskets and jewelry, as well as laptops owned by the museum. Staff were not present at the time of the burglary. The institution later said that investigators believe the theft was not a targeted heist but a “crime of opportunity.” Police have since released video footage showing the two suspects as investigators seek help from the public in identifying them.
Louvre Museum Jewel Heist
Date: October 19, 2025
What Happened: A group of thieves using a truck-mounted mechanical lift broke into a second-floor window in the Galerie d’Apollon of the Louvre Museum around 9:30 a.m. local time on Sunday, after the museum had already opened its doors to the public, and stole $102 million of Napoleonic jewels before speeding off on motorcycles. Interpol later added the jewels to its Stolen Works of Art database. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced that four people have now been charged with organized robbery and criminal conspiracy while a fifth suspect remains missing. Police have not yet recovered the stolen jewels.
Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle Gold Nugget Theft
Date: September 16, 2025
What Happened: A 24-year-old Chinese woman broke into the natural history museum in Paris around 1 a.m. on September 15 and stole more than 13 pounds of gold nuggets on display, worth about $1.7 million, using an angle grinder and blow torch. She fled France that day and was arrested on September 30 by authorities in Barcelona and transferred to French custody. She was charged with theft in an organized gang—which is punishable by up to 15 years in prison—and criminal conspiracy an investigating judge on October 13.
Maison des Lumières Denis Diderot Coin Theft
Date: October 20, 2025
What Happened: Historic silver and gold coins were taken the day after the Louvre Museum heist from Maison des Lumières Denis Diderot, an institution dedicated to the French philosopher in the town of Langres. The museum was closed to the public at the time. Their exact worth was not immediately known.
Art Recovery and Forgeries
German Forgery Ring Busted
Date: October 15, 2025
What Happened: An international crime ring selling forged paintings purported to be by Pablo Picasso, Rembrandt van Rijn and Peter Paul Rubens, among others, was arrested by German police in the state of Bavaria. Police conducted early morning raids at numerous locations across Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein and seized “a large number” of forged works, as well as documents, phones and computer equipment. The crime ring had been under investigation since the start of the year, and the main suspect was described as a 77-year-old man accused of attempting to sell nearly two dozen forged works for prices between $465,000 and $16.2 million.
Other Incidents
Metropolitan Museum of Art Incident, November 2025
Date: November 3, 2025
What Happened: A 19-year-old man was arrested after causing a disturbance inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art, according to the NYPD. Police said Joshua Vaurin was taken into custody and charged with criminal mischief after witnesses and museum security reported erratic behavior. Sources told the New York Post he splashed water on paintings, including Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres’s Princesse de Broglie and Girolamo dai Libri’s Madonna and Child with Saints, and pulled two tapestries from the wall. The museum said no visitors or artworks were harmed and credited its staff and police for a swift response.
Last Updated: 8:29 p.m. November 4, 2025
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