ABSTRACT
Theft and vandalism are two criminal acts that occur within museums and other cultural heritage institutions. This entry provides a historical context for art theft with an international scope, and highlights such famous examples as the thefts of the Mona Lisa, two versions of The Scream, and multiple masterworks stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. Next, the complex definitions of vandalism, citing case study examples of Mary Richardson’s attack on the Rokeby Venus, and Yuan Chai’s and Jian Jun Xi’s actions on Tracey Emin’s work, My Bed. Finally, a discussion of museum responses to incidences such as these highlights the preventative measures and security devices that cultural heritage institutions employ to deter potential wrong-doers and protect the objects they hold in the public trust.
