A painting by Italian Caravaggio, this masterpiece created in 1609 has been missing since 1969, when it was stolen from the Oratory of Saint Lawrence in Palermo, Italy.

Value: $20 Million

Suspected to have been stolen by several thieves and then passed around within the Sicilian Mafia for years after the theft, in 2015 a replica was commissioned by Sky Broadcasting, and using the high technology of Factum Arte, a high-resolution copy of the stolen artwork was created and hung in the altar on December 12, 2015.

In October 1995, a Stradivarius violin was stolen from the New York City apartment of Erica Morini, a renowned concert violinist. The instrument, known as the Davidoff-Morini Stradivarius, was made in 1727 by the legendary violin maker Antonio Stradivari.

Value: $3 Million

Interestingly, this was no random break-in; rather, it appears to have been a planned theft orchestrated by a small circle of individuals who had access to Morini’s apartment and the key to the wardrobe where she kept the violin. Despite extensive investigations, the crime remains unsolved to this day.

The priceless oil painting crafted by the celebrated French Impressionist maestro Pierre-Auguste Renoir was brazenly snatched during an armed robbery at a residence in Houston on September 8, 2011.

Value: $22 Million

The masked robber brandished a powerful, semi-automatic handgun as they made off with the painting, which vanished from its frame without a trace. This baffling disappearance has left art enthusiasts and investigators perplexed. A private insurer has stepped forward, offering a substantial reward of up to $50,000 for any information that could aid in the recovery of this priceless artwork.

On June 10, 2007, this precious artwork was stolen from the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. The audacious theft occurred while the gallery was open for public viewing, adding an element of daring to the crime.

Value: $1 Million

“A Cavalier” is a captivating self-portrait painted by Frans van Mieris the Elder in 1657. It showcases the artist’s skillful rendering and attention to detail. The painting had been donated to the gallery in 1993 by media figure and philanthropist James Fairfax.

In 2006, during Rio de Janeiro’s exuberant Carnival celebrations, a group of audacious thieves executed a daring heist at the Chácara do Céu Museum. Their target? Priceless artworks by some of the most renowned modern artists. The stolen masterpieces included Claude Monet’s “Marine,” Salvador Dalí’s “The Two Balcony,” Henri Matisse’s “The Luxemburg Gardens,” and Pablo Picasso’s “The Dance.”

Value: Priceless

Despite investigations spanning 15 years, the stolen art has never resurfaced, leaving art enthusiasts and investigators alike pondering their whereabouts.

In 1990, 13 valuable artworks were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. The thieves posed as police officers, bound the guards, and looted the museum. Notable pieces include a Vermeer painting and Rembrandt’s seascape. 

Value: Hundreds of Millions $$$

Empty frames still hang in the museum as placeholders for the missing works, and the museum offers a $10 million reward for information leading to their recovery. The mystery continues to captivate art enthusiasts and investigators.

In April 2003, during the chaos following the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the National Museum of Iraq in Baghdad suffered a devastating looting incident. Thieves, taking advantage of the turmoil, ransacked the museum over a 36-hour period. 

Value: Priceless

While the museum staff had managed to safely store 8,366 artifacts, approximately 15,000 objects were stolen. These priceless pieces included ancient Sumerian artifacts, sculptures, pottery, and cylinder seals. Despite efforts to recover the stolen art, more than 8,000 artifacts remain unaccounted for.

In a daring heist that unfolded during the opening day of the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, two audacious thieves targeted the National Gallery in Oslo. Their target: the 1893 version of “The Scream,” an iconic painting depicting a ghostly figure against a fiery orange sky on a bridge. In a mere 50 seconds, the thieves cut the wire holding the painting to the wall and vanished.

Value: $120 Million

The Norwegian government received a $1 million ransom demand but refused to pay. Eventually, four men were convicted in connection with the theft, including Paal Enger, who had previously stolen another Munch masterpiece, “The Vampire,” in Oslo. The audacity of this theft remains etched in art history, adding intrigue to the already enigmatic allure of “The Scream.”

In December 2000, daring thieves targeted the National Museum in Stockholm, Sweden. Armed with weapons, they stole three valuable paintings: a self-portrait by Rembrandt and two Renoir works (“Conversation” and “Young Parisian”). 

Value: $30-45 Million

The robbers escaped in a motorboat, throwing nails on the road to hinder police pursuit. Although the masterminds were arrested, the paintings remained missing for years. In 2005, the FBI uncovered a lead in Los Angeles, eventually recovering both paintings.