The history of art heists

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service.Our guest is Dr Elisabeth Fondren, Associate Professor of Journalism at St John's University in New York, USA.We start by hearing some groundbreaking frontline reporting from the B ...  Show more

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes focussing on Kenya.We hear about Muthoni Kirima, one of the last Mau Mau fighters to come out of hiding and lay down her arms.Caroline Elkins, Professor of History at Harvard University, discusses the brutal ...  Show more

During World War II, tens of thousands of priceless paintings, sculptures + other art mediums (think: Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rembrandt…) were stolen by Nazi forces. Plucked off of walls, ripped out of the hands of private collectors, discarded in rubble, burned in bonfires.. ...

As the Nazi war machine rampaged across Europe it did not just take territory and resources from its conquests but also many thousands of pieces of art and other antiquities. Stolen from both galleries and individual victims of Nazi crimes allied troops discovered hidden cache ...

From cat burglars to immoral, obsessed collectors, we've all heard stories of notorious art thieves. But in terms of loot, which of history's outrageous art heists was the most successful? Listen in and learn more in this podcast.

An escape from war-torn Germany. Lavish dinners with Hollywood royalty. A Swedish baron and a dime-store heiress: we explore the long journey of a Van Gogh still life — and what it says about the real value of the things we treasure.Get Revisionist History updates first by signin ...  Show more