Heritage Avon Lake Series Continues With Art History Presentation

Professional artist, art historian, and educator Sean Crum will present a free talk entitled Famous Forgeries & Art Thefts: The Dark Side of Art on Monday, Feb. 12, from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Waugaman Gallery at Avon Lake Public Library as part of HAL Presents, Heritage Avon Lake’s monthly educational series.

One of the subjects Crum will highlight is a 28-year-old art heist that remains the biggest unsolved art theft in world history. Early on the morning of March 18, 1990, two individuals disguised as policemen buzzed one of the outside doors of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, MA, and convinced a security guard to let them in, claiming that they were responding to a disturbance at the museum.

Eighty-one minutes later, after handcuffing and tying up the guard and another guard on duty, the thieves left with 13 works, valued at more than $500 million, by artists that included Rembrandt, Manet, Degas, and Vermeer. As a symbol of hope and remembrance, the empty frames remain displayed in the museum, which is offering a $10 million reward for any information about the theft.

Crum will also discuss famous art forgeries and forgers, one of whom, Dutch painter and portraitist Han van Meegeren, is considered one of the most ingenious art forgers of the twentieth century. Van Meegeren, who specialized in recreating the work of 17th century artist Jan Vermeer, was arrested in May 1945 and charged with collaborating with Nazi Germany after his name was linked to the sale to Nazi Field-Marshal Hermann Goering of what was then thought to be an authentic painting by Vermeer. His two-year trial began in 1947 in Amsterdam and ended with the charges changed to forgery and a one-year jail sentence. He served none of that sentence, however, dying from a heart attack two months later.

Heritage Avon Lake will continue its HAL Presents series with the following talks:

• Monday, March 12 – Dr. Mark Jamba, DVM will discuss What Killed Grandma?: Dissecting Old Death Certificates
• Monday, April 9 – Lysa Stanton, Westlake Historical Society president, will discuss Victorian Mourning Customs
• Monday, May 14 – Mary Milne, professional genealogist, will discuss Epitaphs and Icons: Interpreting Gravestones

All events, which are free, will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Waugaman Gallery at Avon Lake Public Library, 32649 Electric Blvd.

Heritage Avon Lake is a local history organization that collects, preserves, and promotes oral, written, and physical history. For more information, visit www.heritageavonlake.org or call 440.549.4425.