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Stolen art — BYU searches the world to recover pilfered pieces

Mark | 6:32 a.m. June 22, 2008

Fascinating article, and tragic that after twenty years of searching, they've recovered less than 5% of the missing paintings, with apparently little prospect of recovering more. I was particularly stunned by the one museum's brazenness: "yes it's yours, but you didn't say anything for so long, we're going to keep it now." Who'd have thought that the old playground "Finders keepers, losers weepers" would apply in the professional world.

samhill | 7:26 a.m. June 22, 2008

It seems to me that the real culprits in this case are the people who put Mr. Burnside in the job.

If he was someone hired as a professor of "art history" and manager of the art collection and is now described as someone who, "was in way over his head", I would be finding out who it was that assigned him such important positions of responsibility for which he was so incapable.

Eugene | 8:22 a.m. June 22, 2008

Very interesting and shows that greed can change the lives of people for the worse. I'm blad BYU has changed this terrible situation into a positive. Where else in the world could such an embarassment be turned public and have a positive outcome. Lemmon is a hero!

Comments continue below

Bubba | 9:03 a.m. June 22, 2008

Is art really worth the time and effort, let alone the money?

MesaAZ | 9:24 a.m. June 22, 2008

With all the retired FBI, Secret Service, and CIA agents who are members (of the church), the Church could call some of them on missions to work on a team specifically to recover the stolen art, and for that matter, any other such legal needs the Church may have.

God gave these men and women experiences and talents that can now be used for the benefit of the Church. Just like retired doctors are called on health missions, and retired lawyers are called on missions for the Church's legal needs, these retired agents could be called on to use their talents to help the Church.

re: MesaAZ | 10:23 a.m. June 22, 2008

Your idea is great. Present it to someone who could actually implement it.Good going!!!!!!!!!!

Ron | 10:47 a.m. June 22, 2008

I took a class from Brother Burnside at 7:00 in the morning in the lower campus main building. It was hard to stay awake while watching his slide shows. However, as mentioned in this article, I think that he was a good person dedicated to BYU. My understanding was that many of the painting had been loaned to departments around campus and hung on the wall of professors for such a long time that when they retired they ended up taking the paintings thinking they had ownership. Since this was not mentioned in this article was it not true and/or are you protecting the memory of many retired professors?

Re: Bubba | 11:14 a.m. June 22, 2008

Is recovering the art worth the time, effort, and money?

Yes. Yes it is.

New England Visitor | 11:16 a.m. June 22, 2008

I visit the Met more than I visit Utah. This news that they've kept artwork from a small collection owned by a University is disturbing. The Met would not stand for this if the case was reversed. Any other claim of abandonment would be laughable. To expect curator/owners to stay current on all art sales around the world during it's unknown loss is ridiculous. The Met decides on what time table you are permitted to discover your loss and on what agenda you are expected to discover it's location? Small museums, who are not agressively seeking new acquitions, do not have the staff to search the auctions and art galleries around the world looking for art that may belong to them in the chance that it may have been stolen without their knowledge. The Met in their leadership position should relinquish the art. In addition they should provide training/support to small collections to improve their forgery and loss detection capabilities. Why did The Met not know the art was already owned prior to their acquisition? Art has been cataloged and documented for centuries. The Met is simply arrogant here. I bet the court case was in NYC.

maren | 11:18 a.m. June 22, 2008

As far as the stolen painting in the Scarsdale, NY home, why not get some people out with picket signs "Stolen Artwork Inside", etc & picket the creep? Bet they won't like THAT publicity around their country club!

It was just sheer negligence | 11:34 a.m. June 22, 2008

I took art classes and volunteered to help catalog and store the art collection at BYU 40 years ago. It was a hopeless task, no one really cared. The huge Young collection had overwhelmed the facilities and staff. Art was put on racks in hallways, stacked in unlocked storerooms with wide open doors. Professors and other people took art in and out with no controls whatsoever. Paintings hung unsecured on walls in offices, classrooms and halls all over campus. I complained about the lack of security but it fell on deaf ears. With thousands of valuable pieces of art just laying around unsecured, it doesn't surprise me that a lot of them were stolen. I'd suspect that students and others around the University just took art home and possibly have valuable paintings hanging on their walls to this day. Students and even most Professors and school employees had no idea the paintings had much of any value. What BYU should do is send a letter and list of missing art to every student, prof and employee from around the time the works went missing and ask to have them returned. I bet some would come back.

Stella in NY | 3:12 p.m. June 22, 2008

It seems that BYU should be equally to blame for being so negligent in it's stewardship of the art in the first place. They must share the blame for the conditions that allowed this to happen.

Visitor from New England | 3:49 p.m. June 22, 2008

The largest art heist in the world happened just a few years ago in Boston at the Gardner museum. Doors down from Harvard Medical school, practically accross the street from the Boston Museum of Art. There were a couple of security guards and no security system. I took some curators classes at Harvard and they have improper storage, mildew problems and other such issues as well. They are doing the best they can with the resources they have, but if there are current issues as these world class institutions then don't be so hard on your local university for improper care decades ago. Stella, surely you remember the Gardner museum heist when it hit the news. They've never recovered the art. The bottom line is they are trying to right the wrongs now and to have a major institution and others be uncooperative is unfathamable in my mind.

Re: Stella in NY | 3:52 p.m. June 22, 2008

Of course BYU is to blame, that's why they didn't try to cover it up and are now trying to correct the mistake they made. This isn't a story on who's to blame, it outlined what happened and the current process of recovery. But what's worse is the Met's refusal of cooperations, especially when it knows it's harboring stolen artwork.

lagnar | 4:41 p.m. June 22, 2008

I purchase large amounts of artwork for collections around the world. BYU is reknown for being cheap, they want you to "donate it" or use it for tithes. worse yet, the art will hardly ever or never be seen again. BYU is hoarding what should be seen by everyone. Why not put it all in a museum or a display for everyone to enjoy?

Human-kind | 4:47 p.m. June 22, 2008

This is a fascinating, well-written article. I would think the first step in detective work on this issue would be to contact/investigate BYU employees who may have inadvertently, ignorantly, or intentionally taken one of these works home. It would be great if family members of BYU employees from this period would take a careful look at any of their art treasures/keepsakes (or even what they may consider trash)and contact the "Y" if they are unsure of actual ownership. Hopefully this article will initiate some long-awaited action.

Re: Mesa, AZ | 5:01 p.m. June 22, 2008

Missionaries are supposed to be out doing the Lord's work. I don't think the Lord really cares about lost art pieces, just lost souls.

Norm Solomon BYU'68 | 5:23 p.m. June 22, 2008

When I was a student at BYU, there was a double bust in the Harris Fine Arts Center to honor the 100th wedding anniversary of a couple named Peterson, grandparents of one of the university deans. When I returned for a campus visit several years later, the HFAC no longer exhibited the bust, and no one seemed to know where it was. I wonder whether it is also among the missing items.

Carolyn | 8:54 p.m. June 22, 2008

I find this article fasinating for a couple reasons. It is very descriptive and a lot of research seems to have been done by the writer. I especially enjoyed reading about Lt. Lemmon's work. He has given a lot of time and talent to the case and BYU should be proud of the investment they have made in Lt. Lemmon. He is the best thing that has come along in this situation. Did I also mention how handsome he is - and that he is my dad -and I will forever be grateful for the appreciation and knowledge of fine art he gave me!!

Robin | 12:24 a.m. June 23, 2008

I was a student at BYU in the 70's, majoring in art. I had several classes from Wes Burnside. I was asked to come to his office. Some extremely inappropriate actions took place. When reported to BYU, I was told to not tell anyone and it would be taken care of. Today this would not be tolerated! If timely investigations had been done, perhaps some of these later allegations would not have happened.

shawilli | 3:45 a.m. June 23, 2008

what a disgraceful story, this is the school that proudly boasts of it's "honor code" and has lost millions of dollars of art to thieves....

Michelle | 7:10 a.m. June 23, 2008

shawilli, losing millions of dollars of art to thieves has no correlation to the "honor code." Your implications are what are disgraceful, not this news story.

Mahonri | 8:32 a.m. June 23, 2008

Check your sources. Lorin Wheelright wheeled and dealed and sold a lot of the art that is now 'stolen'. One noted art dealer told BYU to file a police report and prosecute Wheelright and he would return the art. Without the prosecution it was just another business deal.
BYU did nothing to Wheelright.
You can't have it both ways. Either prosecute all those involved or quit crying about it. Once again BYU is party to the problem and not a victim in many of the cases of 'stolen art'.
Hire professionals, not 'good members with temple recommends.'
You get what you pay for.

Brother Chuck Schroeder | 9:19 a.m. June 23, 2008

Tell the truth. There's a sucker born every minute is a phrase often credited to P.T. Barnum (1810 ï¿½ 1891), an American showman . It is generally taken to mean that there are (and always will be) a lot of gullible people in the world. However, when Barnum's biographer tried to track down when Barnum had uttered this phrase, all of Barnum's friends and acquaintances told him it was out of character. I thought the BYU staff was more thoughtful as well as careful, guess not. Thirty-nine years ago this week, New York City art dealer Dion O'Wyatt swindled Brigham Young University out of a sketch by French impressionist painter Claude Monet and a drawing by American artist Winslow Homer. BYU art collection manager allowed O'Wyatt to take the drawings back to New York for authentication because the dealer said he was interested in purchasing the pieces. These comments are NOT found to be abusive, offensive, off-topic, misrepresentative, or more than 200 words, however, the PC Thought Police may not allow this and censor the truth here and not print it.

rogerjh | 10:25 a.m. June 23, 2008

It is interesting to me that so many people who comment are still finding fault and laying blame even though the main culprit died in 1994, and the administration that hired him is likely long gone as well. Sure there are people still alive that are partially responsible, but obviously those that kept or stole the artwork value it more than honesty. Laying blame at this point is a waste of everyone's time!!!

I commend those who are working hard to fix a problem they didn't create. Our society in general values art even though some people don't. As one with limited artistic talent I still appreciate what some people are able to create with their talent. I think the school should preserve whatever they can and build a reputable museum and collection as they are now doing. If they weren't going to protect it and make it available for others in the community to appreciate then it should be sold to a reputable museum that will, but not the Met.

Re: lagnar | 11:11 a.m. June 23, 2008

Of course they want it donated, they are a university. Big woop. As far as your claim for "never seen again..." go to BYU, you can see it there when it's on exhibit, just like at any other university. They, of course, don't have room to have everything on display all the time... common sense tells you this, but I guess you aren't listening to common sense. I repeat, it's a university!

Re: Norm | 12:27 p.m. June 23, 2008

Check the Fairview art museum for the bust in question. These are relatives of my mom's and she has a replica of that piece in her living room. I'm pretty sure the original is in Fairview where the couple lived most of their lives.

Re: lagnar | 4:32 p.m. June 23, 2008

Lagnar, you don't know what you're talking about. Every museum in the world asks for art to be donated, including the Smithsonian, National Gallery, Louvre, everyone! And you can't donate towards tithing, that's ridiculous. What kind of "art" do you buy? I reckon none of it would be worthy of a museum, go sell your Thomas Kinkades somewhere else, like the Mall.

Re: lagnar | 4:48 p.m. June 23, 2008

I really don't think you know what you're talking about. Most museums can only show 3-5% of their collection at any one time, but they rotate it so you can see it by visiting again and again. And BYU does show it, it has an excellent art museum.

When art is donated... | 9:16 p.m. June 23, 2008

it may not ever surface again unless it is something of a masterpiece. I know of art, donated to BYU by a relative of my wife, some really good work, I do not think it could be produced today. Is it not lawful and expected that donated works, after it remains with the receipient for a given length of time, can be sold or traded? Someone clarify that please. The tax laws at least provide for this to happen after a given length of time. Much of the work donated to museums and universities have been apraised for tax purposes, and tax deductions have been allowed. Why complain?

To Brother Chuck Schroeder | 3:47 a.m. June 24, 2008

I can't believe you thought they wouldn't publish your statement. You said nothing exciting at all. Besides, they seem to publish everything. They are letting someone anonymously accuse a former professor by name of inappropriate actions, and publishing that to the world. They are also letting someone anonymously claim the BYU museum asked him to donate artworks as part of their tithing. Is either one true? Who knows? It's in a forum where anything can be said anomymously, and people can make things up.

Heck, I'm the King of Sweden, and every day I drink three glasses of milk. Must be true. It's on the Deseret News Web site.

Anyhow, posts of newspaper Web sites is hardly journalism's finest hour. In fact, what is said here in these posts may be journalism's darkest hours since William Randolph Hearst fabricated stories to get the Spanish-American War started.

Nothing reliable is said on these posts. And anyone who thinks an intelligent person takes an anonymous post on this or any other Web site clearly has an impaired cerebellum.

Huh??? | 7:49 a.m. June 24, 2008

Is my tithing being used to buy art pieces for BYU??? I hope not!!!!

Matt | 10:03 a.m. June 24, 2008

No tithing is being used to purchase art.

I'm glad they are trying to recover stolen and misplaced artwork.

BT in Philly | 10:07 a.m. June 24, 2008

Tithing is not used to buy art. It's a university, so it's not like it doesn't have plenty of its own money, completely separate from the church (not to mention donations). To deny that would simply be ignorant.

Money | 12:28 p.m. June 24, 2008

The Museum does not get money from the church, or even from BYU. It has to raise all of its funds independently from art patrons. I've been giving lately (although small) to try and get more art in Utah County.

E.L. | 2:32 p.m. June 24, 2008

Just take a look at the unsecured Friberg paintings in the LDS Conference Center. This collection is worth well over 1 M and is displayed with only ropes as boundaries. I personally asked why the paintings were not secured behind shatter proof glass and was given insuffient reasons. Anyone could easily jump a rope and slash the canvases. Is UT sooo provincial?

Embarassed | 2:40 p.m. June 24, 2008

I am embarassed to be a BYU alum. No other University in America has problems of this magnitude in it's art department. This shows an utter lack of foresight and negligent supervision and hiring on the part of BYU. We as BYU alum deserve better from our school.

Re: Embarrassed | 4:49 p.m. June 24, 2008

Please explain how you are privy to a knowledge of the workings of all the Universities in America that you can avow that "no other University in America has problems of this Magnitude...?" Is there a chance that a few, if not many have covered up their ineptness?

How proud I am as an alum that BYU recognized their short comings and is doing what they can to resolve the issue at-hand and improve their accountability of such operations.

Ross | 5:22 p.m. June 24, 2008

Great reporting on a fascinating story...one that is still ongoing.

kiaoraguy | 6:25 p.m. June 24, 2008

I was a student Assistant Gallery Director in the HFAC during the mid eighties, and was always aware that hindsight was starting to kick in big time in all areas of the administration. It is easy now to lay blame about circumstances, but the truth is the majority of the missing art was the action of 'sins of ommission, not commission.' Officer Lemmon is to be commended for his efforts, the Y learned a painful lesson, Brother Burnside had to fall on his sword, and if you think thefts of this magnitude don't happen elsewhere you will be sadly mistaken- where there is a will, there will be a way for some dark-souled cretin to gain at the the dismay of others.

Spelling counts, even in art. | 12:45 a.m. June 25, 2008

>BYU is reknown for being cheap

"Reknown," like known again?

Or maybe you meant "renowned."

Either way, compared to public universities, BYU is dancing around throwing money from the rooftops. If you want to see a school that is as miserly as can be, try a state university.

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