Russia is in the process of committing one of the biggest art heists since the Nazis looted museums and private collections across Europe. Up to 480,000 pieces, from ancient Scythian gold to contemporary art, have been either stolen or destroyed. For more than three centuries, the Russian Empire, USSR, and Russia have been routinely exploiting and appropriating Ukrainian culture. Now, museums in de-occupied territories are being stripped naked, while new ones are popping up in still occupied territories, such as the museum of Andrei Zhdanov, Stalin's propagandist-in-chief, in Mariupol.
The unpleasant truth is that looting, an ancient war practice, is a foundation of the world's most prominent museums' collections: there is always a demand. Most of the items looted in Ukraine remain hidden. Some emerge on the global black market and even eBay, some have already been exhibited accompanied by a fanfare. The same happened with the thousands of pieces of trophy art that the Soviet Red Army brought from Europe at the end of WWII. These were then nationalized and are now considered as pillars of the Hermitage and Pushkin museums. Nothing was returned to its original home.
If any stolen art finds its way into Russia, the chances of retrieving it are slim. In this space, the lines between the art world and a criminal underbelly begin to blur. Specialized law enforcement has been degraded beyond repair with the approval of the state. The comments of the late Irina Antonova, who ran the Pushkin Museum for more than half a century, encapsulate the policy of looted art in Russia: "We owe nothing to anyone."
Yegor Mostovshikov is an independent journalist and editor. He has dedicated his journalistic career to exposing crimes against art and investigating art markets. His articles have been published in GQ, Forbes, and Esquire. Yegor is the founder of Batenka.ru (2007-2021), an independent media platform that produced long-form stories and narrative podcasts and has made a significant contribution to Russian youth culture. He also works as a producer and director of documentary films.
IWM Rector Misha Glenny will moderate the discussion.
