When Dr John Kerr worked for an art installation company in London, he helped transport highly valuable paintings by renowned artists such as Lucian Freud, Constable and Gainsborough. Pieces would be delivered to museums, offices, churches, galleries and private houses to be displayed or restored.
“As an art installer, I’d be hanging paintings worth millions of pounds, which got me thinking about art theft and fraud,” says Kerr, whose curiosity eventually led him to a criminology PhD specialising in art crime, and then to his current role as head of policing and criminology at The University of Law.
“I started to wonder about the security surrounding the art, and where paintings might end up when they get stolen. And what the point of stealing a really expensive piece might be, when it’s hard to resell. You can’t sell a Rembrandt on the normal market. Ultimately, when I researched my PhD, I found out that, on the black market, stolen art is worth 10% of its value, so it’s used as collateral in organised crime [it can be used to secure a loan or exchanged for weapons or drugs], or for ‘artnapping’ to try to receive a ransom or reward.”
