Stolen Art

I'm not sure why the art heist in paris has gitten so much media coverage, when so much art is stolen every second on the net. Sure the picaso, braque, modigliani and matisse works are worth a lot these days, as museum pieces. The reality is they should be worthless, ok the could earn the thief or indiscreet purchasers a lengthy jail term, while they are at large. The problem I an getting more and more confused about is what is the real vale of art and why is the art creator so unlikely to benefit from its value. The worse problem in my mind is all the direct theft of art, photos, videos and songs because it has been posted on the net. Doesn't the artist deserve something?

I will skip over the question of whether art is also stolen when it is largely copied (plagiarism?)

If you have valuable art and are worried about it being stolen, make sure it is properly photographed (you gallery or agent can help with that) and document it specifically with your insurance and not down the useful web servicw the Art Loss Registry (which lets you register stolen works). It will also let you do additional check up on that "unearthed" Picaso from the guy at the pub!