Five more people have been arrested in connection with the Louvre robbery that recently shocked the world. Such spectacular thefts have a long tradition. Who are the perpetrators, what motivates them, and where does the stolen treasure end up?
Dresden 2019: The "Green Vault" robbery
On November 25, 2019, two masked men broke into a residential castle in Dresden. They smashed the display cases of the "Green Vault" with an axe and stole 21 pieces of jewelry with around 4.300 diamonds and brilliants, estimated at more than 116 million euros.
The robbery was carried out by members of the Remo clan – of Arab origin from Berlin – already known for spectacular thefts. Some of the loot was recovered in 2022 after some members confessed, but many of the jewels are still missing.
This case shows how the clans in Germany have turned art theft into a professional "business sector" - organized, precise, unscrupulous. And this despite the fact that selling such loot is extremely difficult.
After the robbery, art historian Uli Seeger told DW: "These are historic collections of diamond jewelry from the 18th century. Unlike paintings, which are ultimately just canvas and dry paint, diamonds have enormous value and material significance."
That's why internationally networked gangs are increasingly focusing on items like gold, precious stones, and coins – because they're easier to cash in on than the art found in every catalog.
However, the gems must be fully reworked because they are easily identifiable by their historical cutting – which any serious jeweler in the world would be able to recognize, Zeger added.
Berlin 2017: "Big Maple Leaf" from the Bode Museum
Two years earlier, a similar incident had occurred: the perpetrators – also members of the Remo clan – broke into the Bode Museum in Berlin through a window and stole a gold ducat “”, weighing 100 kilograms. Its value at the time was around 3,75 million euros, and at today’s gold exchange rate it would be worth almost 12 million. The thieves’ goal was clear: to turn the gold into money. It is assumed that the valuable “coin” had long since been destroyed and melted down.
Paris 2010: "Spider-Man" originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina
In 2010, Paris-Mostar burglar Vjeran Tomić, known for his climbing skills and nickname "Spider-Man," climbed into the Museum of Modern Art in Paris without setting off the alarm. In preparation for the robbery, Tomić discreetly sprayed the window frames with acid to make them easier to open during the operation.
His loot: “Pastoral” by Henri Matisse, “Woman with a Fan” by Amedeo Modigliani, “Dove with Green Peas” by Pablo Picasso, “Olive Tree at Estacué” by Georges Braque, and “Still Life with Candlestick” by Fernand Léger – a total value of around one hundred million euros.
Tomić was arrested, but claimed he was acting on the collector's orders. The paintings were never found.
This burglar, who gained the status of an “antihero” and a kind of Robin Hood because he did not shed blood, did not use weapons and only stole from the rich, was born in Paris, but originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Due to his mother’s illness and violent father, he was raised by his aunt and uncle in Mostar. As a boy, he spent his days on and around the Neretva River, climbing and jumping into the cold river.
He returned to Paris at the age of eleven. His parents were strangers to him, which led him to run away and wander. He later revealed that his return to Paris was the beginning of his career as a thief: "If they hadn't snatched me from Bosnia, I would have led a quiet, different life."
Tomić was sentenced to eight years in prison. His incredible life story, the skills that earned him the nickname "Spider-Man of Paris," and the audacity with which he humiliated French authorities are the subject of the 2023 Netflix documentary "Vjeran Tomic: The Spider-Man of Paris," in which Tomić himself recounts how he pulled off the heist of the century.
Boston 1990: The biggest art heist of all time
In March 1990, two men in police uniforms entered the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. They tied up the guards and took 13 works of art—including paintings by Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Degas. The FBI estimated their value at more than $500 million.
The case remains unsolved to this day. Investigators suspect that the stolen works are circulating in mafia circles as “underground securities.” The robbery has become legendary and inspired numerous documentaries.
"Art is hard to sell - jewels are not"
Tim Carpenter, director of Argus Cultural Property Consultants and former head of the FBI's Art Crime Unit, says that with famous and extremely expensive works of art - paintings, prints or drawings - the biggest problem is not the theft itself, but their sale. Such works are famous, catalogued and difficult to cash in on.
It is quite different with precious metals and jewels: "They can be melted down or dismantled – which is a tragic loss for cultural heritage. Unfortunately, such valuables are increasingly becoming the target of thieves in Europe, because their goal is clear: to turn art into money."
In the case of the Louvre, Carpenter doesn't believe the loot will be destroyed. "These objects are too significant. I suspect the thieves know exactly what they have and will keep them as a collection. They are very recognizable."
Why are works of art so alluring?
Among criminals, works of art sometimes serve as currency. The perpetrators of art thefts are diverse: in Germany they are often large Arab families with high logistics and elaborate structures.
In other branches of organized crime – particularly in Southern and Eastern Europe – works of art are used as barter goods in drug or arms trafficking.
Of course, there are also individual perpetrators, most often insiders like guards or employees who know about security breaches in museums. And then, as Hollywood movies like to portray, mysterious private collectors who simply want to own the artwork – and commission tailor-made thefts.
According to Interpol, billions of dollars worth of art is stolen every year – and only about ten percent of it is recovered. The Louvre robbery is yet another reminder that art is not only beautiful, but also vulnerable – and that the black market in cultural goods is thriving.
Bonus video:
