Meet Arthur Brand, the art detective known as the 'Indiana Jones of lost art'
Art recovery expert Arthur Brand tells us why valuable art could be in your very own backyard.
CBC Radio ·
Dubbed the 'Indiana Jones of the art world' because of his exploits, Dutch art detective Arthur Brand poses for a photograph with two limestone Visigoth reliefs from the seventh century in north London on Jan. 20, 2019. The reliefs, depicting evangelists, were stolen in 2004 from the Maria del Lara Church in Spain. Brand handed back the carvings to the Spanish embassy after he traced them to an English garden. (Niklas Halle'n/AFP/Getty Images)
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When a priceless painting vanishes from a museum, who are you supposed to turn to? For those in the art world, Arthur Brand is the first person you call.
Brand is an art detective based in Amsterdam known as the "Indiana Jones of lost art." He runs a consulting agency that helps museums and governments find stolen art.
Over the last few years, he's recovered more than $200 million in stolen paintings, sculptures and artifacts. Most recently, he tracked down two garden ornaments that were actually historic sculptures stolen from one of Spain's oldest churches.
Today, Brand joins Tom Power live from Amsterdam to tell us more about how he tracks down and recovers lost art.
One of two seventh century limestone Visigoth reliefs is displayed, having been recovered by Dutch art detective Arthur Brand (not pictured), in north London on Jan. 20, 2019. the reliefs, depicting evangelists, where both stolen from the Maria del Lara Church in Spain. (Niklas Halle'n/AFP/Getty Images)
Dutch art detective Arthur Brand poses with the missing mosaic of St. Mark, a rare piece of stolen Byzantine art from Cyprus, in a hotel room in The Hague on Nov. 17, 2018. Brand said he handed back the artwork to Cypriot authorities on the same day. (Jan Hennop/AFP/Getty Images)
Arthur Brand standing next to Salvador Dalí's 1941 surrealist work Adolescence. (Submitted by Arthur Brand)
