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The Medici Conspiracy

Medici has such wonderful connotations, especially in reference to the importance of Italian art. In Italy the convicted thief Giacomo Medici awaits the results of his appeal to determine whether or not he will serve a ten year sentence. The story criss-crosses the Atlantic and focuses on the acquisition policies of two museums: The J. Paul Getty in Los Angeles and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Title: Giacomo Medici, photographed alongside the Euphronios krater in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
Image Courtesy: PublicAffairs, a member of the Perseus Books Group

It begins with a Euphronios krater acquired in 1976 by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Most, not all unfortunately, but most art buyers want to know the provenance of the objects they purchase. At some of the finest art fairs, like TEFAF in Maastricht, the provenance, or ownership history of each piece is displayed in great detail. There cannot and should not be any question that these pieces are correctly attributed to the artist. Additionally there should be a solid history of ownership, especially in the current climate of returning goods that were taken when they should not have been. The British Museum and the Elgin Marbles are a never ending story without resolution that can please either country. Nazi looted items from the Second World War are still making news as ownership is decided and they are returned to their rightful owners.

Title: Kantharos by Euphronios, partially restored, partially broken in Medici's Geneva warehouse
Image Courtesy: PublicAffairs, a member of the Perseus Books Group

Provenance and Ownership are the heart of this story. The authors illustrate what happens in the underworld of stolen artifacts. The journey takes place from the tomb robbers or tombaroli removing them from the earth to their sojourn at Medici's Geneva warehouse before their display in the museums that bought them. Medici is a wily character smart enough to create a provenance. He put them at auction and then bought them himself, allowing him to claim the auction house as authenticators of the legitimacy of the stolen piece.

Title: Kantharos by Euphronios, totally restored on display at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles
Image Courtesy: PublicAffairs, a member of the Perseus Books Group

The heroes are the Italian Carabinieri Art Squad who spent years unraveling this intricate tale as the thieves did their best to cover their tracks. Though Medici couldn't help himself from having a photograph taken next to the stolen pieces at first as they were removed from the ground before the dirt was cleared and later after the items were placed on museum display, such as beside the Euphronios Krater, above. His zest for Polaroid posterity aided in his June 2005 conviction in the Italian courts. The story isn't complete. Currently two others are on trial in Italy charged with trafficking in stolen antiquities, including a former curator at the Getty Museum.

The Medici Conspiracy is a page turner. It might seem strange to write that about a non-fiction book dealing with stolen goods with most of the proof coming from the Italians' intensive research effort of the available documentation: it's true.