Meet “the Indiana Jones of the art world”
Stolen artworks vanish into a criminal netherworld. Arthur Brand recovers them
EVEN AS A child, Arthur Brand was fascinated by art and antiquities. His grandfather went to school with Han van Meegeren, a Dutch painter who forged a picture by Johannes Vermeer and sold it to Hermann Göring. His father had a passion for history and named his son after King Arthur, the mythical British ruler. In boyhood Mr Brand delighted in stories of knights and Vikings, of mummies and hidden troves of gold, silver and jewels. “The only book I read was ‘Treasure Island’,” he says.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Raider of the lost art”
From the June 26th 2021 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Culture
Performing in a cinema near you: Bob Dylan and Maria Callas
Behind the boom in musical biopics
Can Magnus Carlsen convince people to watch chess?
The world’s best player hopes that glamming up the ancient game can make stars of its players
Are internet firms the problem, or are you the problem?
A veteran critic of technology offers his take on a familiar target
The Michelin Guide is no longer the only tastemaker in town
How is it adapting to changing eating habits?
Why “Emilia Pérez” is loved by Hollywood and hated by everyone else
And the Oscar for Worst Picture goes to…
Tofu: never judge a food by its political reputation
Think outside the white plastic box. Here is a carnivore’s guide to tofu