A 30-year-old museum worker in Germany has been convicted and suspended for 21 months after an audacious art theft scheme. The employee, who worked at the Deutsches Museum in Munich from May 2016 to April 2018, stole the valuable painting “Das Märchen vom Froschkönig” (The Tale of the Frog Prince) by Franz von Stuck. He then replaced it with a counterfeit and proceeded to auction off the original artwork.
According to a report by CNN, the thief went to great lengths to conceal his crime. He initially claimed that the painting had belonged to his great-grandparents or grandparents when dealing with the auction house. The stolen artwork was eventually sold for 70,000 euros, with the man pocketing 50,000 euros after the deduction of auction fees.
With the proceeds from the illicit sale, the museum worker indulged in a lavish lifestyle. He purchased a Rolls Royce and several expensive watches, settling his outstanding debts along the way. His actions did not go unnoticed, and he was soon caught and brought to justice.
In addition to the 21-month suspension, the convicted man was fined 60,600 euros for his theft of the artwork. The Munich District Court stated in a press release that the defendant had “shamelessly exploited the opportunity to access the storage rooms” of the museum and “sold valuable cultural assets to secure a high standard of living for himself and to show off.”
Furthermore, it was revealed that the art thief had stolen three more paintings from the museum’s storage facility. He successfully sold two of these stolen artworks, “Die Weinprüfung” (The Wine Test) by Eduard von Grützner and “Zwei Mädchen beim Holzsammeln im Gebirge” (Two Girls Collecting Wood in the Mountains) by Franz von Defregger. However, his attempts to sell the third stolen painting were unsuccessful.
The Munich District Court acknowledged that the man had expressed remorse for his actions, stating that he “acted without thinking” and could no longer explain his behavior. This case serves as a cautionary tale of the lengths to which some individuals will go for personal gain, even at the expense of cultural heritage.
