by
Fine Art Registry®
Ahhh, summer in Boston, Mass., studying art crime and art fraud with the international rock stars of the art industry, while taking in the sights of everything Boston has to offer. For all of us fine art enthusiasts out there, it sounds like a slice of heaven, doesn't it?
Fine Art Registry® announces a unique and exciting opportunity to join Richard "Dick" Ellis, art crime investigator and career Detective at New Scotland Yard in London, England, and retired FBI Special Agent, Virginia Curry, as they present an extraordinary five-day educational event focusing on crimes against art, hosted at the historic and picturesque Stonehill College, in North Easton, Massachusetts, July 30 through August 3, 2012.
Finally, an art fraud and art crime course that is actually
designed to
educate on a variety of subjects that affect today's art market and the art industry as a whole. This course is for all art aficionados and especially for those that are serious about collecting fine art and are (or soon will be) actively engaged in the business of fine art. Boost your Art IQ and become better educated about the art industry and the pitfalls associated with it.
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| Virginia Curry and Dick Ellis Presenting at Stonehill College |
The five-day event is jam-packed with visits to "insider" learning venues including (but not limited to) onsite visits to museums and premier art galleries where knowledgeable industry professionals will opine on all manner of subjects from how museums curate their collections to the functions of an art gallery. Learn what "investment art" truly is and what it isn't, and so much more. Participants will also visit a major Boston auction house where they will experience a rare, behind the scenes look at how an auction house operates. Make sure you take notes, because later you will participate in a mock auction to be held at Stonehill College. Engage with Mr. Ellis and Ms. Curry as they challenge participants with helping them try to solve one of the most publicized unsolved museum heists in U.S. history.
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| Dick Ellis teaching at Stonehill College |
And during your stay, when you're not learning the
fine art of art crime, you'll be enjoying the vibrant city of Boston--the forefront of American history. Mr. Ellis and Ms. Curry will be your hosts at a Samuel Adams Lager toasting reception, a Red Sox game at Fenway Park, and weather permitting, everyone will experience the ever-famous, good old fashioned Boston Clam bake. This will be an event to remember. It's a time to learn and network with others with the same interests, and a rare opportunity to be introduced to some of the best international experts on the planet when it comes to the investigation, scholarship, and current trends and topics in the field of art crime and art fraud.
This is the first art crimes educational event of its kind. Never before has such an experience been offered to the public. Mr. Ellis and Ms. Curry look forward to meeting you all in Boston this summer for an exceptional hands-on learning adventure. Book now as space is limited. For more information and how to enroll contact:
Summer Art Symposium.
Mr. Ellis has been an art crime investigator for over 20 years. In 1989, he formed the Art & Antiques Squad, which he operated until he retired from New Scotland Yard in 1999. As an art crime investigator both in the public and private sector, Mr. Ellis has been involved in many notable art theft recoveries such as Munch's,
The Scream, which was stolen from the
National Gallery in Norway in 1994. He has also been involved in many cases dealing with the recovery of antiquities looted from China and Egypt as well as recovery of numerous items of stolen art and antiques from the homes of private collectors throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. In 2006, Mr. Ellis recovered stolen paintings by Bonnard, Vuillard and Duffy
. Most recently, in 2011, Mr. Ellis recovered stolen Picasso paintings in Serbia.
Mr. Ellis has served as a member of UNESCO's international panel of experts on the protection of cultural property and was instrumental in the creation of the Council for the Prevention of Art Theft's Code of Due Diligence. He has lectured extensively on all manner of subjects related to art theft, fraud, and the protection of cultural property. In 2008 he was appointed Expert Advisor to Government on International Loans to Museums in England and Wales.
So, when it comes to real, practical and down to earth experience in crimes against art, Mr. Ellis has few equals. For decades now, he's been in the trenches fighting art crime. Few professionals in the art world understand the nature of art crime or have experienced the illicit side of the art industry like he has. Those fortunate enough to be under his tutelage benefit greatly from his lifetime of service in the art world.
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| Virginia Curry |
About Virginia Curry: Ms. Curry is a retired FBI Special Agent and Art Crime Team investigator. She worked undercover and instructed other FBI agents. She is currently a licensed private investigator. Ms. Curry is FBI Certified undercover agent and instructor and is the recipient of numerous awards. She has been involved in some of the most interesting, complex, and well-publicized art crime cases, like the
Getty Antiquity Smugglingcase, the
Southwest Museum Director Embezzlement case, as well as other high profile FBI investigations which all resulted in criminal convictions. Many of her FBI investigations have been chronicled in the books:
Circle of Greed, The Medici Conspiracy, Chasing Aphrodite, and
Framed. Ms. Curry has a masters degree in Art History and Italian and Spanish. She is also a GIA certified graduate and certified teaching professional.
If you have ever wondered what it's like to be an FBI Special Agent investigating art crimes, this is your chance to interact with Ms. Curry, who will be sharing some of her experiences about the dark side of the art industry.
