I’ve started a new side project — a YouTube channel called “Crimes Against Art.” It started as (a) a way to organize some of the research material I’ve found over the years, and (b) a way to learn how YouTube works.
I’ve been reading and posting about art-related crime for some time now. My work-in-progress/maybe next novel Fake revolves around the hunt for a cache of stolen art. Since Fake is possibly the first in a series, I’ve also been looking for ideas for sequels. “Crimes Against Art” is a logical outgrowth of all this.
It’s early days yet – I have just 92 videos linked into six playlists – but it’s still growing and will be over a time. I hope to expand it beyond strictly art to explore areas such as counterfeit consumer and luxury goods, classic auto fraud (there’s apparently a black market in fake “original” parts), forged wines (yes, people fake “name” wines), and whatever else I can stretch to fit the brand.
If you have any interest in art or antiquities fraud, forgery, theft, smuggling, or any of the other bad things that can befall artworks, check out the channel. If you like it, please subscribe – if I get 500 subscribers, I can get a less ugly URL for it, and it’s always nice to know I’m sharing.
Very cool! I’ve already blown half an hour this morning…
Great! I’m hoping more people will have the same experience. It’s a fascinating subject, and there are so many facets to it. Thanks for subscribing!