Wednesdays, January 7 – January 28, 6 – 8pm
Instructor Caterina Y. Pierre at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, standing in front of the empty frame of a stolen artwork.
$220; members $198
(4 classes)
About the Class
Movies depict art heists as glamorous capers involving tuxedos, safecrackers, and elaborate security systems. But art theft is a real issue, accounting for nearly $8 billion in annual losses for museums and collectors. How are such crimes actually committed, and how can institutions and individuals protect themselves?
This course investigates several famous art crimes from the 20th century, including the theft of 13 artworks from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990, the looting of Jewish art during World War II, and the forgeries of Elmyr de Hory, the most notorious copycat in modern history. We will discuss recent thefts as well and consider how to strengthen laws against looting and provide better training for art historians and buyers to prevent the sale of fraudulent works. We’ll also explore whether crime can be considered as part of a valid artistic practice, such as when artists employ public defacement as a key element in their works.
The class is online-only. More about online classes.
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Barnes classes will:
- Sharpen your observational and critical thinking skills.
- Improve your ability to communicate about art.
- Deepen your appreciation for cultures and histories outside your own.
Instructor
Caterina Y. Pierre
Pierre is professor of art history at the City University of New York at Kingsborough Community College and visiting associate professor at the Pratt Institute, New York. She has taught about art and crime at CUNY Kingsborough, Pratt, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art, New York. She is currently preparing a book on cemetery sculpture as political art in the late 19th century, as well as a book on Ernest Durig, a forger of the sculptor Auguste Rodin.
What Our Students Say
“The instructor is a gifted individual who is able to [engage] with all different kinds of learners and motivate us to want to learn more, see more, and experience more. I would highly recommend any course by this instructor.” —Collection Concentration: Medieval Modern with Kaelin Jewell
“Martha Lucy knows how to balance her lecture with fact, excellent painting selections, and inclusion of the students.” —The Art and Life of Toulouse-Lautrec with Martha Lucy
“The best class to understand the elements of art. The instructor’s expertise and warmth, along with the excellent discussions with my classmates, made it a truly wonderful experience.” —The Elements of Art with William Perthes
“This class offered rich insight into Picasso and his contemporaries—the gallery scene, turn-of-the-century politics, Catalan culture, along with Picasso’s approach to composition and contemporary European culture. It was so informative.” —Picasso in Focus: New Discoveries at the Barnes with Christine Romano and Naina Saligram
“Caterina loves the material she presents and infuses all her classes—of which I have taken many—with that infectious enthusiasm.” —Rendez-vous au Café: Café Culture in 19th-Century Art with Caterina Pierre
Go Further
Close-Looking Immersion: Cézanne’s Portrait of a Woman
Spend an hour with Cézanne’s haunting Portrait of a Woman. Instructor: William Perthes
Surrealism, Then and Now
Revisit the movement’s origin and global expansion and consider its legacy today. Instructor: Naina Saligram
Caravaggio: Revolutionary Painter of the Roman Baroque
Learn how Caravaggio rejected classical idealism for raw naturalism, fueling works with psychological intensity. Instructor: James Harper