Lost artworks are original pieces of art that credible sources indicate once existed but that cannot be accounted for in museums or private collections or are known to have been destroyed deliberately or accidentally, or neglected through ignorance and lack of connoisseurship. The US FBI maintains a list of "Top Ten Art Crimes"; a 2006 book by Simon Houpt and a 2018 book by Noah Charney and several other media outlets have profiled the most significant outstanding losses.

Chronology of notable loss events

* Rhodes earthquake, 226 BCE *First Mithridatic War ** Sack of Athens, 1 March 86 BCE * Antikythera shipwreck, ''86-50'' BCE * Lauseion fire, 475 * Nika riots, 13 January 532- * Byzantine Iconoclasm ** Iconoclasm of Leo III, 726-741 ** Second Byzantine Iconoclasm, 814-842 *Jin–Song Wars, 1125–1234 ** Jingkang Incident (Sack of Kaifeng), 10 January 1126- *Fourth Crusade, 1202–1204 ** Sack of Constantinople, 12–15 April 1204 * Bonfires of the vanities, 1492–1497 ** Bonfire of the vanities, Florence, 1492 ** Bonfire of the vanities, Florence, 7 February 1497 * Palazzo Bentivoglio destruction, 1507 * Iconoclastic Fury, 1522–1599 ** Beeldenstorm, 1566 ** "Stille beeldenstorm" of Antwerp, 1581 * Doge's Palace fire, 1576 * Russo-Swedish Deluge 1648-1667 ** Destruction of the Commonwealth * Bombardment of Brussels, 13–15 August 1695 ** Brussels Town Hall fire, 13–15 August 1695 * Palace of Whitehall fire, 4 January 1698 * André-Charles Boulle workshop fire, 30 August 1720 * Coudenberg Palace fire, 3 February 1731 * Royal Alcázar of Madrid fire, 24 December 1734 * Kroměříž Palace fire, March 1752 *

Lisbon earthquake The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon earthquake, impacted Portugal, the Iberian Peninsula, and Northwest Africa on the morning of Saturday, 1 November, Feast of All Saints, at around 09:40 local time. In combination with ...

and tsunami, 1 November 1755 ** Ribeira Palace destruction *''

Vrouw Maria ''Vrouw Maria'' (''Lady Mary'') was a Dutch wooden two-masted merchant ship carrying a valuable cargo of art objects, captained by Raymund Lourens, that sank on 9 October 1771 in the outer archipelago of the municipality of Nagu, Finland, 11 k ...

'' sinking, 9 October 1771 * French Revolution, 1789–1799 * Elgin Marbles removal, 1801–1805 * Exton Old Park fire, 1810 * Belvoir Castle fire, 1816 *

Basilica of San Paolo fuori le Mura The Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls ( it, Basilica Papale di San Paolo fuori le Mura), commonly known as Saint Paul's Outside the Walls, is one of Rome's four major papal basilicas, along with the basilicas of Saint John in the ...

fire, 1823 *

Burning of Parliament The Palace of Westminster, the medieval royal palace used as the home of the British parliament, was largely destroyed by fire on 16 October 1834. The blaze was caused by the burning of small wooden tally sticks which had been used as part o ...

, 16 October 1834 * Palais-Royal looting, 21–22 February 1848 * Old Summer Palace destruction, 18–21 October 1861 * Museum Boymans fire, 1864 *Paris Commune, 18 March-28 May 1871 ** Hôtel de Ville fire, May 1871 ** Tuileries Palace fire, 23 May 1871 * Holker Hall fire, 1871 * Great Boston Fire of 1872 * Bath House fire, 31 January 1873 * Pantechnicon warehouse fire, London, 13–14 February 1874 * Benin City sacking, 9 February 1897- * San Francisco Earthquake, April 18, 1906 * Messina earthquake, 28 December 1908 * Mona Lisa theft and vandalism, 21 August 1911 * World War I, 28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918 *

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

and post-revolution losses, 1917-1920s **Treasures for Tractors, 1920s * Thames flood (Tate Gallery flood), 7 January 1928 * Glaspalast fire, 6 June 1931 * Nazi plunder, 1933–1945 ** Berlin Fire Department art burning, 20 March 1939 ** Frey seizures (1939-1942) ** Reichsleiter Rosenberg Taskforce seizures, 1940–1945 ** Mühlmann Agency seizures, 1939–1945 ** Einsatzgruppen unit seizures, 1939–1945 ** SS-Ahnenerbe unit seizures, 1939–1945 * Panels from the Ghent Altarpiece theft, 10 April 1934 * Spanish Civil War, 1936–1939 * World War II, 1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945 ** Gosford House fire, 1940 ** Castle Howard fire, 9 November 1940 **The Blitz, 7 September 1940 – 21 May 1941 *** Bridgewater House bombing, 11 May 1941 ** Bombardment of Manila, December 1941 ** Bombing of Bremen, 1942 **Palazzo Archinto (Milan) bombing, 1943 **

Battle of Monte Cassino The Battle of Monte Cassino, also known as the Battle for Rome and the Battle for Cassino, was a series of four assaults made by the Allies against German forces in Italy during the Italian Campaign of World War II. The ultimate objective was ...

, 17 January – 18 May 1944 **

Ovetari Chapel The Ovetari Chapel (Italian: ''Cappella Ovetari'') is a chapel in the right arm of the Church of the Eremitani in Padua. It is renowned for a Renaissance fresco cycle by Andrea Mantegna and others, painted from 1448 to 1457. The cycle was destroyed ...

bombing, 11 March 1944 **

Destruction of Warsaw The destruction of Warsaw was Nazi Germany's substantially effected razing of the city in late 1944, after the 1944 Warsaw Uprising of the Polish resistance. The uprising infuriated German leaders, who decided to destroy the city as retaliation. ...

, 1944–45 *** Royal Castle, Warsaw explosion ** Bombing of Dresden, February 1945 ** Battle of Manila, 3 February – 3 March 1945 ** Schloss Immendorf fire, May 1945 ** Friedrichshain flak tower fire, May 1945 **Ashiya District air raids, 5–6 August 1945 ** Quedlinburg medieval art theft, 19 April – June 1945 ** Soviet looting, 1939–1945 * Kronberg Castle looting, 5 November 1945 *

Arno Breker Arno Breker (19 July 1900 – 13 February 1991) was a German architect and sculptor who is best known for his public works in Nazi Germany, where they were endorsed by the authorities as the antithesis of degenerate art. He was made official ...

Sculpture Destruction, 1945- * Arshile Gorky studio fire, 1946 * Alfred Stieglitz Gallery theft, 1946 * Musée de Beaux Arts de Strasbourg fire, 13 August 1947 * Coleshill House fire, 1952 * Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) fire, 15 August 1958 * American Airlines Flight 1 plane crash, 1962 * Dulwich College Picture Gallery theft, 30 December 1966 * Izmir Archaeology Museum theft, 24 July 1969 * Oratory of San Lorenzo theft, October 1969 * Stephen Hahn Gallery theft, 17 November 1969 * Montreal Museum of Fine Arts theft, 4 September 1972 *Musée Albert-André, Bagnols-sur-Cèze, theft, 12 November 1972 * Invasion of Cyprus church thefts, 1974 * Russborough House art theft #1, 1974 * Palais des Papes Picasso theft, 31 January 1976 *

Corridart Corridart (sometimes stylized as Corrid'Art) was an almost 6 km (4 mile) long public exhibit of monumental installation artwork that took place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on Sherbrooke Street from July 6 to July 13 1976. The exhibition was cancel ...

installation destruction, Montreal, 1976 * Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro fire, 8 July 1978 * Varig plane disappearance, 30 January 1979 * L.A. Mayer Institute for Islamic Art theft, 15 April 1983 * Kunsthaus Zürich incendiary attack, 1985 * Musée Marmottan Monet theft, 28 October 1985 * Russborough House art theft #2, 1986 *

Neue Nationalgalerie The Neue Nationalgalerie (New National Gallery) at the Kulturforum is a museum for modern art in Berlin, with its main focus on the early 20th century. It is part of the National Gallery of the Berlin State Museums. The museum building and its ...

theft, 27 May 1988 * Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum theft, 18 March 1990 *

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

theft, 16 September 1990 * Houghton Hall theft, 30 September 1992 * Windsor Castle fire, 20 November 1992 * Uffizi car bombing, 1993 * Moderna Museet theft, 8 November 1993 * ''The Scream'' theft, 12 February 1994 * Kunsthalle Schirn theft (Frankfurt art theft), 28 July 1994 * Stéphane Breitwieser: 172 museum thefts, 1995–2001 * Oklahoma City bombing (Murrah Building collapse), 19 April 1995 *Galleria Ricci Oddi theft, 18 February 1997 * Louvre theft, 3 May 1998 * Swissair Flight 111 plane crash, 2 September 1998 * Ashmolean Museum theft, 31 December 1999 * Nationalmuseum theft, 22 Dec 2000 * Russborough House art theft #3, 2001 *

National Museum, Poznań The National Museum in Poznań ( pl, Muzeum Narodowe w Poznaniu), Poland, abbreviated MNP, is a state-owned cultural institution and one of the largest museums in Poland. It houses a rich collection of Polish painting from the 16th century on, an ...

theft, September 2000 *Sofia Imber Contemporary Art Museum theft, 2000–2002 * Taliban iconoclasm, March 2001 * Hermitage Museum theft, 22 March 2001 * September 11 attacks, 2001 ** World Trade Center Collapse, 11 September 2001 * Marielle Schwengel's destruction of stolen art, November 2001 * Frans Hals Museum theft, 25 March 2002 *Edenhurst Gallery theft, 28 July 2002 * Russborough House art theft #4, September 2002 * Van Gogh Museum theft, 8 December 2002 *2003 Iraq War ** National Museum of Iraq thefts, 8–12 April 2003 * Kunsthistorisches Museum theft, 11 May 2003 * Drumlanrig Castle theft, 27 August 2003 * Momart fire, 24 May 2004 *

Santo Spirito in Sassia Church of the Holy Spirit in the Saxon District (Italian: ''La chiesa di Santo Spirito in Sassia'') is a 12th-century titular church in Rome, Italy. It is in '' Borgo Santo Spirito'', a street which got its name from the church, placed in the sou ...

Hospital theft, 31 July 2004 * Munch Museum theft, 22 August 2004 *Neumann Foundation theft, 27 October 2004 * Victoria and Albert Museum theft, 29 December 2004 * Westfries Museum theft, 9 January 2005 * Henry Moore Foundation theft, 15 December 2005 *

Strindberg Museum The Strindberg Museum ( sv, Strindbergsmuseet) is a museum in Stockholm, Sweden. It is dedicated to the writer August Strindberg (1849-1912) and located in his last dwelling. The site is in the building he nicknamed "Blå tornet" (''Blue Tower'') ...

theft, 15 February 2006 * Museu da Chácara do Céu, Rio de Janeiro theft, 24 February 2006 * São Paulo Museum of Art theft, 20 December 2007 * Foundation E.G. Bührle theft, 10 February 2008 * Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo theft, 12 June 2008 * Hélio Oiticica fire, 16 October 2009 * Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris theft, 10 May 2010 * Dulwich Park theft, 20 December 2011 * Kunsthal Art theft, 16 October 2012 *

Clandon House Clandon Park House is an early 18th-century grade I listed Palladian mansion in West Clandon, near Guildford in Surrey. It stands in the south east corner of Clandon Park, a agricultural parkland estate which has been the seat of the Earls of ...

fire, 29 April 2015 * National Museum of Brazil fire, 2 September 2018 *

Dresden Green Vault burglary On 25 November 2019, royal jewellery was stolen from the Green Vault museum within Dresden Castle in Dresden, Saxony, Germany. The stolen items include the 49- carat Dresden White Diamond, the diamond-laden breast star of the Polish Order o ...

2019 *

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

**Burning of the Museum of Local History in the town of Ivankiv, Kyiv region, February 2022 **Destruction of

Research and recovery efforts

The

Art Loss Register Art Loss Register (ALR) is the world's largest database of stolen art. A computerized international database that captures information about lost and stolen art, antiques, and collectibles, the ALR is a London-based, independent, for-profit corpor ...

is a commercial computerized international database which captures information about lost and stolen art, antiques and collectables. It is operated by a commercial company based in London. In the U.S., the FBI maintains th
Stolen Art File
"a database of stolen art and cultural property. Stolen objects are submitted for entry to the NSAF by law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad." A number of search and recovery efforts were created in response to major loss events, notably: * Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program ("Monuments Men"), 1943–1946 * Bureau of Revindication and Damages (Poland), operated from 1945 to 1951 * Bureau of the Government Representative for Polish Cultural Heritage Abroad, 1991-

List of notable lost artworks

File:Raphael missing.jpg, '' Portrait of a Young Man'' by Raphael File:Caravaggio 005.jpg, '' Nativity with San Lorenzo and San Francesco'' by

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi (Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi) da Caravaggio, known as simply Caravaggio (, , ; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the final four years of hi ...

Est. (2006) US$20,000,000 File:Rembrandt Christ in the Storm on the Lake of Galilee.jpg, ''

Storm on the Sea of Galilee ''The Storm on the Sea of Galilee'' is a 1633 oil-on-canvas painting by the Dutch Golden Age painter Rembrandt van Rijn. It was previously in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston but was stolen in 1990 and remains missing. The painting ...

'' by

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...

Est. (2006) priceless File:Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 076.jpg, '' Landscape with an Obelisk'' by

Govert Flinck Govert (or Govaert) Teuniszoon Flinck (25 January 16152 February 1660) was a Dutch painter of the Dutch Golden Age. Life Born at Kleve, capital of the Duchy of Cleves, which was occupied at the time by the United Provinces, he was apprenticed by ...

Est. (2006) priceless File:Vermeer The concert.JPG, ''The Concert'' by Vermeer Est. $20,000,000–priceless File:Alexander Egg.jpg, ''Alexander III Commemorative egg'' by Fabergé Est. $20–30,000,000 File:Danish Jubilee Egg.jpg, ''Royal Danish egg (Danish Jubilee egg)'' by Fabergé Est. $20–30,000,000 File:Van Gogh - Vase mit Pechnelken.jpeg, ''Vase with Lychnis'' by Van Gogh File:Édouard Manet Chez Tortoni.jpg, ''

Chez Tortoni ''Chez Tortoni'' is a painting by the French artist Édouard Manet, painted ca. 1875. The oil-on-canvas painting measures . The painting hung in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, prior to being stolen in ...

'' by Édouard Manet Est. (2006) priceless File:Cholmondeley Oudry White Duck.jpg, ''White Duck'' by

Jean-Baptiste Oudry Jean-Baptiste Oudry (; 17 March 1686 – 30 April 1755) was a French Rococo painter, engraver, and tapestry designer. He is particularly well known for his naturalistic pictures of animals and his hunt pieces depicting game. His son, Jacques-Ch ...

Est. (2006) US$8,800,000 File:View of Auvers-sur-Oise Paul Cezanne.png, ''View of Auvers-sur-Oise'' by Cézanne Est. (2006) US$3,000,000 File:Marcel Duchamp, 1917, Fountain, photograph by Alfred Stieglitz.jpg, Original of '' Fountain'' by Marcel Duchamp (1917)Calvin Tomkins, ''Duchamp: A Biography'', Museum of Modern Art, 2014, p. 186

Pre-16th century

16th century

17th century

18th century

19th century

20th century

21st century

List of notable finds

List of notable disputed finds

References

Notes

Bibliography

Books

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Journals

News

* *

External links

*
The Story of Leonardo da Vinci's HorseLost Art. Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Library Collections. In the Library's Photographs and Clippings Files.Lost Art — Masterpieces Destroyed in War
in Flickr
Destroyed Works of Art and Architecture Group
in Flickr {{Destroyed heritage