Art Crime: Pursuing the Priceless
Thursday, March 26 • 7 p.m.
Presented by Robert Wittman
The Wall Street Journal called him “a living legend.” The Times of London dubbed him “The most famous art detective in the world.” Rising from humble roots as the son of an antiques dealer, Wittman built a twenty-year law-enforcement career that was nothing short of extraordinary. He founded the FBI’s National Art Crime Team and served for 20 years as the FBI’s investigative expert in this field. Armed with a scholar’s passion, a con man’s smile, and a daredevil’s nerves, he worked undercover to catch art thieves, scammers, and black market traders in Paris and Philadelphia, Rio and Santa Fe, Miami and Madrid. By the FBI’s accounting, Wittman saved hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of art and antiquities. He says the statistic isn’t important. After all, who’s to say what is worth more—a Rembrandt self-portrait or an American flag carried into battle? They’re both priceless.