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Sunday, April 15, 2012

Stolen Art Watch, Charles Vincent Sabba, Artist, Art Theft Investigator, Art Loss Consultant, Documenting Art Crime Through The Paintbrush




When Art Theft Becomes Art Itself

http://ducretartistpipeline.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/art-theft-becomes-art-itself.html

When you ask him how as a policeman he got started in art, Charlie will politely correct your perception. "It's the other way around. I am an artist first and then a policeman," he states with a refreshing mix of artistic exhuberance and sensibility that emits only from those who are clearly established 'in their element'. Actually, artist Charlie is a police sergeant, an art theft investigator and art loss consultant as well, formally speaking,"as the director of Unitel's Art Recovery Consultancy division, Charles Sabba has CONCENTRATED on some of the world's major art theft mysteries, not as law enforcement, but more akin to the enigmatic world of intelligence operatives And this particular art theft consultant has done just that. On May 16th at 8pm Charles Sabba will seamlessly blend both careers and present to the public some behind-the-scenes insight on the search for the thieves via The Gardner Museum Heist Exhibition-lecture at the Salmagundi Club in NYC.

Accompanying Charles at his lecture will be an 8' x 10' Isabella Steward Gardner Heist freshly painted depiction, which includes many of the prominent figures that were and are involved in the 22 year old 'unsolved' case. If ever there were a way to artfully document this fascinating study of human behavior at it's worst and best - it is through Mr. Sabba, who paints with the unusual edge of an insider's eye. The estimated heist price was $500 million and included works by Vermeer, Rembrandt, Degas and Manet. It connected an heiress, mobsters and politicians, and a host of prominent business men and women spanning over a few decades and continents. The incredible irony of this long-running hi-end drama and the upcoming unveiling in May is that the original criminals actually kicked off the heist - dressed in police uniforms.

Mr. Sabba, who can often be found in his art loft at The duCret School of Art, located in Plainfield NJ, is a typical artist only in that - as artists often do - he has managed to put a whole new and rather lighthearted twist on the redundant theme of 'humans stealing from other humans'. It temporarily lifts a soul's focus away from the similarily unsolvable political and banking industry foibles of recent years. Perhaps in the very near future, someone might even be savvy enough to commmission Mr. Sabba to paint the connected-iconic figures involved in creating and proliferating the 'disappearing money syndrome' that became a devastated world economy!

Both the upcoming lecture and exhibition at the Salmagundi Club are open to the public and the admission is free. In the name of the world's largest 'whodunit' art theft case, this should be one very interesting crowd to mingle amongst. A reception party will begin at 6:30pm and the lecture will begin at 8pm. The Salmagundi Dining Room and bar will be open to the public during the exhibition. For dinner reservations, call(212) 255-7740. Dinner is served Tues - Fri, 6 - 9pm with the bar open Mon - Fri, 5:00 - 10:30pm. The Salmagundi Club is located at Forty-Seven Fifth Avenue | New York, NY 10003. For more information regarding Charles Sabba, contact duCret school of Art at 908-757-7171 between 9am - 4pm or visit www.ducret.edu.

http://unitel.com/art-loss-consultants

Until his untimely death a few years back, former NYPD Detective and noted artist in his own right, Robert Volpe, the "Art Cop" who had headed up the NYPD's Art Fraud unit was Unitel's consulting director of our art loss services. We are pleased to announce the new appointment of Charles V. Sabba, Jr., as Unitel's consulting art loss director. Mr. Sabba maintains his primary duties as a career police officer in New Jersey, but will act as a special consultant to Unitel in the area of art thefts and advisor to Unitel concerning consulting advice for museums and other owners of art collections. Mr. Sabba, both an artist in his own right and a law enforcement officer, is presently a leading art theft chronicler and art historian. Mr. Sabba possesses an encyclopedic memory of all the world's major art thefts as well as a large database of known art criminals and informants throughout the world. Since 1990, Mr. Sabba, on his own personal time, has been studying the Isabella Gardner art theft - the largest unsolved art theft in the United States.

Mr. Sabba has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts, New York and a certificate from the DuCret School of Art, Plainfield, New Jersey. He has completed courses at the FBI Academy, Quantico, VA in Forensic Facial Imaging and in 2004, completed a course in Art & Antiques Crime, New Scotland Yard, London. He has authored two articles: Sicilian Mystery: Where in the World is Caravaggio's stolen Nativity (US Italia Weekly); and, Museum of Stolen Art (US Italia weekly).

He is a member of the Salmagundi Club, New York, the leading American art club since 1871, as well as a member of the International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection.

Strategic Alliance

Unitel and Avante Int'l Technology, Inc., announce the formation of a Strategic Alliance for Unitel to provide the Fine Arts client, Avante's break-through technology for the protection of Art Works and other valuables through the use of Avante's patented RFID technology.

Using sophisticated unobtrusive electronic monitoring tags unobtrusively fixed to the back of Art Works or other Valuables, and Avante's Real-Time location technology, Valuables are protected every second 24/7/365. The cost-effective system provides unparalleled visibility of the position, movement, ambient light level, temperature and humidity of every protected Work of Art with embedded tiny sensors that transmit instantaneous alerts. The IP-based RFID monitoring solution provides total real-time multi-layer security and safety providing even cell phone SMS text notifications everywhere, as well as mobile transportation of artwork by truck to shows or other locations via GPRS and satellite communications.

The entire system is web based and independent of any existing security system as well as providing input to existing communications infrastructure. Staff can be equipped with RFID ID badges that provides real-time as to location, movement and temperature data and panic- button interface.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Stolen Art Watch, Gardner Art Heist, Crime Artist Charles Vincent Sabba Unveils Gardner Gossips May 16th 2012 Salmagundi Club New York


Charlie Sabba explaining the large 8 foot by 6 foot 8 inch painting in his DuCret art studio (See the Newark Star Ledger feature by Tony Kurdzuk here: http://photos.nj.com/star-ledger/2012/03/ducret_art_school_85th_anniver_4.html

NJ’s Oldest Art School, duCret School of Art Celebrates 85th Year

The duCret School of Art celebrated it's 85th Anniversary with a Faculty-Alumni Art Show & Sale on the duCret school grounds. Attending were nationally and internationally Known NJ artists.

Plainfield, NJ, April 11, 2012 --(PR.com)-- If ever there were a way to meet history in person, it would be at this year's art show celebration. Amassing at the show were the works of over fifty notable duCret artists, many who have become either nationally or internationally known in the recent decades.

For instance, Charles Vincent Sabba, who has divided his life between being a Rahway, NJ police officer, a forensic sketch artist and an artist himself.

Over time, this unique combination of skills manifested into an equally unique career path, as Charles became involved in investigating crimes related with art.

This unusual focus has led him to work on some of the biggest art theft cases in world history. One can often find Charles sequestered in his studio loft at duCret, painting to canvas, the history of the cases he's worked on.

His Gardner Art Heist piece, a massive painting depicting all involved with the crime will be on display at the Salmagundi Club on May 16, 2012 at 6:30pm, with a lecture to accompany the piece reflecting the heist.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist
Salon, May 16, 2012


http://www.salmagundi.org/content.cfm/salmagundi/Isabella-Stewart-Gardner-Museum-Heist/id/67

The date: March 18, 1990. The time: 1:20 A.M. The place: Boston. Two lone figures sit quietly in a small hatchback on Palace Road, carefully watching the clock and waiting. As the clock strikes 1:24 A.M., the figures, dressed in police uniforms, move silently to a side door of a business and knock. These men do not appear threatening or out of place yet they are about to commit one of the greatest art thefts of all time: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist.

Twenty two years have passed since that night and the whereabouts of the stolen works still remain a mystery; works by Vermeer, Rembrandt, Degas, Manet and others with an estimated worth of $500 million. How did this happen? Who was involved? Where are the works now?

On Wednesday, May 16, at 8:00 p.m. Salmagundi Member and Art Cop Charles V. Sabba will shed new light on these questions and others. As Director of Unitel’s Art Loss Recovery Division, Mr. Sabba has been involved with the investigation for some time and has gotten close enough to many of the suspects to even paint their portrait. These portraits as well as other works by Mr. Sabba, will be on view May 13-19 in the Patrons’ Gallery Exhibition, "Charles Sabba’s Visual Investigation into the Isabella Steward Gardner Museum Heist."

Both the lecture and exhibition are open to the public and admission is free.


Charles Sabba's visual investigation into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist,

The art exhibition will run from May 14 throughMay 20, 2012.
O
pening is on Tues, May 16 at 6:30 and lecture at 8:00pm.
The lecture is on the robbery that resulted
in the loss of $500 million worth of art and all of the suspects, investigators, reporters, and all the other players that have been involved in the investigation over the past 22 yrs.

Please join us at:
Salmagundi Club,
47 Fitfth Ave, New York, N.Y. 10003
(212)-255-7740 www.salmagundi.org

Charles Vincent Sabba's art works can be viewed here: http://local-artists.org/users/charles-v-sabba

His art under world visual investigations are documented here: http://www.yourbrushwiththelaw.com/

Vive la Boheme! A scholarly dissertation on Bohemia and Bohemian art and culture from the 1830s until present can be viewed here: http://youngbohemia.blogspot.com/

Sabba's artistic project to change the anatomy of his brain is documented here:

Monday, April 09, 2012

Stolen Art, Watch, Gardner Heist Tentacles Squeezing


Gardner Art Theft Suspect Gentile Hit With Weapons Charges

http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-gentile-new-indict-0410-20120409,0,7258327.story

Federal prosecutors have filed weapons charges against mobster Robert Gentile, adding to the potential prison sentence faced by a man authorities believe may have information about the world's most sensational art heist, the theft of 13 masterworks from Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

The U.S. Attorney's office said Monday that a federal grand jury has returned a new indictment based on a variety of weapons seized during a search in February of the 75-year-old Gentile's home in Manchester. A federal judge said in February that Gentile's home contained a "veritable arsenal."

In Gentile's basement and in a backyard shed, FBI agents found pistols, a shotgun, silencers, a variety of ammunition, brass knuckles and a sap, among other things.

Gentile's lawyer, A. Ryan McGuigan, called Gentile "a sick old man" and said federal authorities have charged him in a mistaken belief that he can be pressured to reveal information about the unsolved museum heist 22 years ago. McGuigan said Gentile was not involved in the robbery and knows nothing about it or what happened to the stolen art.

The FBI searched Gentile's home on February 10 in connection with his arrest and the arrest of associate Robert Parente, 75, for possession and sale of prescription painkillers such as Oxycontin, Percocet and Dilaudid. Only Gentile has been charged with weapons crimes.

Since both men are convicted felons, they face enhanced prison sentences if convicted of the drug charges.

In the new indictment, Gentile also faces enhanced sentences as a convicted felon in possession of weapons.

He is accused of being a felon in possession of three pistols, a felon in possession of multiple rounds of various kinds of ammunition, including .12-gauge shotgun shells, and possession of four home-made silencers, devices designed to muffle the reports of firearms.

The gun, ammunition and silencer charges carry sentences of up to 10 years. Gentile also faces as much as 20 years on the previously filed drug charges.

A federal judge has called Gentile a threat to public safety and ordered him held without bail while awaiting trial.

The art theft from the Gardner Museum in Boston on March 18, 1990, devastated the art world, and the inability of investigators around the world to find even a hint of the stolen paintings has become an enduring mystery.

Among the pieces stolen were three Rembrandts, a Vermeer, a Manet and five drawings by Degas. Two of the paintings — "Storm on the Sea of Galilee," Rembrandt's only known seascape, and Vermeer's "The Concert" — each could be worth than more $50 million in an open market. All the stolen pieces might be worth $500 million or more.

At least two thieves were involved in the theft. They dressed as police officers and used the uniforms to trick one of two museum guards into opening a door at about 1:30 a.m., the end ofSt. Patrick's Daycelebrations in Boston.

During one of Gentile's appearances in court since his arrest, federal prosecutors said one or more police uniforms where found with the drugs, weapons and cash hidden in Gentile's modest ranch-style home.

The Gardner thieves bound the museum guards with duct tape and, less than 90 minutes later, drove away into the night in a red car. There has been one lead in 22 years, according to the museum. It went nowhere.

"The government has reason to believe that Mr. Gentile had some involvement with stolen property out of the District of Massachusetts," Assistant U.S. Attorney John Durham said in U.S. District Court in Hartford on March 27, during Gentile's second, unsuccessful attempt to win release on bond.

McGuigan said Gentile knows nothing about the stolen art and has been targeted by FBI agents frustrated over the inability to find the stolen paintings.

"What is happening, Your Honor, is that the government is asking you to set a punitive bond, to keep him uncomfortable, to torture him," McGuigan said. "He unfortunately doesn't have the information that the government is looking for. But the government believes he does."

Gentile, who lives in Manchester, has been a player in the Connecticut rackets for years, according to police and other sources. He has an arrest record dating to the 1950s, mostly on minor state charges. He served a six-month sentence, once.

Associates believe that if Gentile had even the faintest idea of the location of the paintings, he would have tried to trade it for the $5 million reward years ago.

Law enforcement records and other sources indicate that, during the 1990, Gentile was associated with a mob crew in the Boston area that at least one FBI informant has linked to the Gardner heist. Law enforcement and other sources have said that Gentile is known to have to have met after the theft with a gangster suspected of once having access to the stolen paintings.

In the late 1990s, Gentile became a sworn member of a Boston-based crew of the dominant mafia group in Philadelphia, law enforcement and other sources said.

Durham said during the hearing in federal court in March that Gentile was associated with a crew active in Boston and led by Capo Robert Luisi, but associated with Philadelphia's mafia family. It was Luisi who "made" Gentile by inducting him into the Philadelphia family, Durham said in court.

When Luisi was arrested and confronted with a long prison sentence for selling cocaine about a decade ago, he implicated Gentile and other alleged members of his crew in a long list of criminal activity, Durham said.

Sunday, April 08, 2012

Stolen Art Watch, Gardner Art Heist, A Visual Investigation Featuring "Gardner Gossips" by Charles Vincent Sabba

Charlie Sabba explaining the large 8 foot by 6 foot 8 inch painting in his DuCret art studio (See the Newark Star Ledger feature by Tony Kurdzuk here: http://photos.nj.com/star-ledger/2012/03/ducret_art_school_85th_anniver_4.html

Gardner Gossips: http://gardnergossips.blogspot.co.uk/

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist

Salon, May 16, 2012


http://www.salmagundi.org/content.cfm/salmagundi/Isabella-Stewart-Gardner-Museum-Heist/id/67

The date: March 18, 1990. The time: 1:20 A.M. The place: Boston. Two lone figures sit quietly in a small hatchback on Palace Road, carefully watching the clock and waiting. As the clock strikes 1:24 A.M., the figures, dressed in police uniforms, move silently to a side door of a business and knock. These men do not appear threatening or out of place yet they are about to commit one of the greatest art thefts of all time: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist.

Twenty two years have passed since that night and the whereabouts of the stolen works still remain a mystery; works by Vermeer, Rembrandt, Degas, Manet and others with an estimated worth of $500 million. How did this happen? Who was involved? Where are the works now?

On Wednesday, May 16, at 8:00 p.m. Salmagundi Member and Art Cop Charles V. Sabba will shed new light on these questions and others. As Director of Unitel’s Art Loss Recovery Division, Mr. Sabba has been involved with the investigation for some time and has gotten close enough to many of the suspects to even paint their portrait. These portraits as well as other works by Mr. Sabba, will be on view May 13-19 in the Patrons’ Gallery Exhibition, "Charles Sabba’s Visual Investigation into the Isabella Steward Gardner Museum Heist."

Both the lecture and exhibition are open to the public and admission is free.


Charles Sabba's visual investigation into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist,

The art exhibition will
run from May 14 through
May 20, 2012. Opening is on
Tues, May 16
at 6:30 and lecture at
8:00pm. The lecture is on
the robbery that resulted
in the loss of $500 million
worth of art and all of
the suspects, investigators,
reporters, and all the
other players that have
been involved in the invest-
igation over the past 22 yrs.
Please join us at: Salmagundi Club,
47 Fitfth Ave, New York, N.Y. 10003
(212)-255-7740 www.salmagundi.org

Charles Vincent Sabba's art works can be viewed here: http://local-artists.org/users/charles-v-sabba

His art under world visual investigations are documented here: http://www.yourbrushwiththelaw.com/

Vive la Boheme! A scholarly dissertation on Bohemia and Bohemian art and culture from the 1830s until present can be viewed here: http://youngbohemia.blogspot.com/

Sabba's artistic project to change the anatomy of his brain is documented here:

Vermeer's The Concert

Vermeer's The Concert