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THE
FBI'S REAL INDIANA JONES
Robert Wittman
is the former lead investigator of the FBI
Art Crime Team, which was formed in 2004
and has since worked with agencies across
the globe in investigating and solving art
crime. In September of this year, he came
to ICEFAT’s annual meeting to present
to the membership and share stories about
his experiences working against the shadowy
elements of the black market in artwork
and cultural artifacts.
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| Bob
Wittman – undercover ! |
So tell me,
how did you decide to go into law enforcement
and then, what led you to specializing in
Art Crime?
Well it was really two things. I was interested
in the FBI since I was a boy. I’d
always thought that the work the agents
did was important; they protect our civil
rights. At the age of 32, I saw an ad in
a local weekly paper looking for new agents.
It sounded attractive, so I went through
with the application and within 6 months
I was headed to Quantico. To be honest I
wasn’t sure I really wanted the job
at that moment but it was something that
interested me and I thought I should try
it soon. I wasn’t a kid anymore. From
then I never looked back.
The specialty in Art Crime came pretty
naturally. My parents were in the antiques
business so I grew up learning the business
of art. When I was transferred to Philadelphia
after my training I was assigned to two
stolen property cases right off the bat.
One was at the Rodin Museum and the other
at the Museum of Anthropology and Archeology.
When we solved both those cases, it was
decided that this was a good angle for me,
so they sent me to the Barnes School to
study art history I also received training
in gemological and diamond identification.
Of course if the FBI sends you to these
programs they want you to use the knowledge
so my focus was on these types of cases
pretty early on.
A lot of your
work was done as an undercover detective,
how do you keep your cool in such situations?
You have to focus on the goal. You do your
planning and research in advance and figure
out what you are going to do and say and
then adjust the situations as needed and
manage them.
What was the
scariest moment for you personally as an
undercover detective? Did you ever have
a moment were you thought “hey I might
not make it out”?
There are lots of moments of terror, they
aren’t necessary undercover. Executing
a warrant and breaking down the door of
a suspect’s house is dangerous. There
were moments undercover that were worrisome
but in order to succeed you have to act
as if everything is ok. The biggest mistake
you can make is to assume the criminals
know more than they do.
What are the
most common motives for stealing artwork?
Are the criminals you’ve dealt with
actually art lovers or are they after the
value?
I think for the wild majority of cases
the motive is financial gain. In a smaller
number of cases the motive is a love of
the objects, by experts in a specific discipline
who think they have more of a right to the
objects because of their love and expertise.
They just can’t keep their hands off.
The third much rarer motive is to make a
political statement, against an institution
or artist.
Does a significant
increase in values—as has been the
case in the contemporary market in the past
decade—have an impact on the frequency
of these art thefts? Are the criminals savvy
about going after works that are “hot”
in the general art market?
The rising art market has driven a big
boost. As the values go up there becomes
much more of a market for these criminal
groups, they can make so much more money.
The general interest of the public on the
value of artwork also has an influence,
consider the Antiques Roadshow craze. It’s
no longer about the intrinsic value. Most
thieves however are not very savvy. They
will steal what is available, convenient
and they can sell. It’s not like there
is a huge increase in thefts of Damien Hirst
because he is hot right now.
You mentioned
in your presentation this fall that there
has been a dramatic increase in violent
art robberies lately. Why do you think this
is so?
I think these crimes have becomes more
violent because of the value. A price tag
of thirty to fifty million makes it worthwhile
for a criminal element that hasn’t
normally in the past been involved in crimes
like these. Also, I would say the increase
in the violent element is happening more
in Europe than in the US.
In terms of
the majority of thefts which you say are
non-violent, what advice would you give
those of us who are charged with the responsibility
to keep art secure?
The most common and insidious theft is
insider theft. Because of this, any fine
arts warehouse or transporter should make
sure the people they have working for them
are honest. They should do good background
checks and of course they should carry the
proper amount of insurance. Fifty-five percent
of the losses in the value of artwork comes
from damage, not theft. So it’s really
important to make sure that handling and
storage is done well. Also training is huge.
For example, drivers who are well trained
don’t make unscheduled stops, this
keeps the art more secure.
What was the
most rewarding case you have worked on?
In 2002, we retrieved a missing original
copy of the bill of rights. As you know
in 1787 there were 13 copies sent to the
13 states to be ratified. One of them, North
Carolina’s copy, was stolen by a Union
trooper who had taken it as war souvenir.
We found it was being offered for sale and
I played a philanthropist who was interested
in buying it for the National Constitution
Center in Philadelphia for $4 million and
we were able to seize it. In 2005, it was
returned to the state capitol to be displayed.
They brought one thousand school children
to see it the first day and I heard how
it made some of these kids realize their
rights, which was rewarding for me. It had
nothing to do with the monetary value of
the piece; it was about returning something
of real importance, of cultural significance,
and having that brought back to the children
who deserve it that was so rewarding.
What is one
currently open case (not necessarily that
you were involved in) that you would personally
like to see resolved?
I’d really like to see the Isabella
Stewart Gardener case closed, the Van Goghs
from Amsterdam found, and the Caravaggio
in Italy returned. It’s terrible that
our children and grandchildren cannot enjoy
these works and appreciate the genius of
the art.
Why did you
leave the FBI? What’s next?
Well, I’d reached the age to retire,
and I wanted to go beyond what I was able
to do at the FBI. There are a lot of limits
placed on law enforcement, and those limits
don’t necessarily have to do with
recovery of the item. What I am doing now
is creating a place where private individuals,
insurers and museums can go and get a full
service type of investigation. It doesn’t
need to be a theft either. These groups
will have someone who knows and understands
the art world and can handle an “art”
situation soup-to-nuts in. I’m still
working to recover artifacts and art but
then also working to make sure they don’t
get stolen in the first place.
I also have book coming out with Crown
Publishers in late 2009. The current title
is “In Pursuit of the Priceless.”
It is a memoir of cases I worked on during
my time at the FBI. Eventually I would also
like to do a second book on new stories
from my post-FBI cases.
Any Final Thoughts?
Having gone to ICEFAT convention I was
impressed with the professionalism of your
group. You are all very serious about your
industry, and that you have banded together
to create this group and work together to
promote the highest standards is impressive
and important work, keep it up!
Feel free to contact Bob if you need any
advice robertwittmaninc@live.com
Nicole
Bouchard, Operations Manager
Crozier
Fine Arts, New York
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Wrapping and handling demonstrations by
Angela McGrew (top) and Kevin Marshall
