SpyCast

“The Most Famous Art Detective in the World” – with ex-FBI Legend Robert Wittman

Listen Later
Summary

Robert Wittman (Website; Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss his career and the FBI’s Art Crime Team. Bob recovered over $300 million worth of stolen art and cultural property over the course of his career. 


What You’ll LearnIntelligence







  • How the FBI’s Art Crime Team (ACT) was formed







  • The intelligence angle when investigating provenance







  • Living and working undercover abroad







  • Museums & Intelligence







    • Reflections







    • The importance of cultural property







    • Questions of ownership and belonging







      • And much, much more …


      Quotes of the Week

      “The motivation for writing the book was to get the word out how important cultural heritage is. It really is important to make the public realize that this is an important program that should be supported by law enforcement both local and federal.” – Robert Wittman.


      Resources SURFACE SKIM*Featured Resource*










      • Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World’s Stolen Treasures, R. Wittman (Crown Publishing, 2011)



        • *SpyCasts*














        • The Gambling Capital of the World: Intelligence, Las Vegas Style! with James Lockhart and Keith Michaels (2023)







        • Venice’s Secret Service with Ioanna Iordanou (2023)







        • 70th Anniversary of James Bond, Special with Alexis Albion on 007 (2023)







        • How Artificial Intelligence is Changing the Spy Game with Mike Susong (2023)







          • *Beginner Resources*







          • Why art gets stolen time and again, R. Pryor, The Art Newspaper (2020) [Short article] 







          • FBI Art Theft Program, FBI, YouTube (2013) [6 min. video]







          • What is cultural property?, Information and Heritage Inspectorate (n.d.) [Short article] 








            • DEEPER DIVEPrimary Sources 







            • Crystal Sphere, Collection of the University of Pennsylvania Museum







            • Mask of the Man with the Broken Nose, Collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art 







            • Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Collection of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum







            • The Concert, Collection of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum







            • The Rosenberg Diary, Collection of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum 







            • Museums and the theft of works of art (1973) 







              • *Wildcard Resource*








              • Can you identify famous pieces and artists like an art detective?







              • Take this Google Arts & Culture quiz to see if you’re cut out for the job! 







                • Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

                ...more
                View all episodesView all episodes
                Download on the App Store
                SpyCastBy SpyCast
                • 4.4
                • 4.4
                • 4.4
                • 4.4
                • 4.4

                4.4

                1,467 ratings

                More shows like SpyCast

                View all
                The Truth of the Matter by CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies

                The Truth of the Matter

                274 Listeners

                War on the Rocks by Ryan Evans

                War on the Rocks

                1,083 Listeners

                Modern War Institute by Modern War Institute at West Point

                Modern War Institute

                766 Listeners

                Secrets and Spies Podcast: Current Affairs | Geopolitics | Intelligence by Secrets & Spies

                Secrets and Spies Podcast: Current Affairs | Geopolitics | Intelligence

                268 Listeners

                Darknet Diaries by Jack Rhysider

                Darknet Diaries

                7,876 Listeners

                Cold War Conversations by Ian Sanders

                Cold War Conversations

                447 Listeners

                The Team House by dee takos

                The Team House

                1,777 Listeners

                True Spies: Espionage | Investigation | Crime | Murder | Detective | Politics by SPYSCAPE

                True Spies: Espionage | Investigation | Crime | Murder | Detective | Politics

                1,960 Listeners

                In Moscow's Shadows by Mark Galeotti

                In Moscow's Shadows

                360 Listeners

                Irregular Warfare Podcast by Irregular Warfare Initiative

                Irregular Warfare Podcast

                391 Listeners

                SpyTalk by SpyTalk, Jeff Stein

                SpyTalk

                204 Listeners

                Global Security Briefing by The Royal United Services Institute

                Global Security Briefing

                21 Listeners

                SPYCRAFT 101 by Justin Black

                SPYCRAFT 101

                320 Listeners

                NatSec Matters by Beacon Global Strategies LLC

                NatSec Matters

                247 Listeners

                The Spy Who by Wondery

                The Spy Who

                548 Listeners