Steal This Book, 2013
As I continued to dive deeper into the mystery of the Gardner Museum heist I gained a familiarity with the lesser known pieces that were stolen. Most anyone can understand the value of a Rembrandt or the significance of Degas' work, but art is subjective and beauty is in the eye of the, in this case, criminal beholder. Most of the pieces were believed to be taken for their monetary value as fenced goods, but it is believed a few were taken because they either were believed to be valuable to a novice eye, or possibly for personally taste. This insight brought me down a path of questions, mostly questioning art itself.
What is art? Can anyone make it? Can anyone call anything art? Is it still art then?
Through an interview with Alex Chong, the Curator in 2013, I began to explore the missing pieces and the connection between art, artists, how we interact with art, and if art can truly ever be gone in this modern era.