I/V w/ Ngarino Ellis on the Dresden Art Heist: November 29, 2019

The recent heist at the Green Vault within the Dresden Castle in Germany has been speculated to be one of the largest art heists in history. City officials and experts consider the loss to be "priceless" and a "cultural loss", while the media considers the Baroque-era jewellery that was stolen to be worth one billion dollars.

The entire heist took about five minutes in total, and it may be possible that the jewels are already melted down or have been sold on the black market.

Rachel Simpson spoke to Dr Ngarino Ellis from the University of Auckland's art history department. Dr Ellis has a history in the law profession and is a member of the Art Crime Research Trust. Rachel and Dr Ellis spoke about the nature of art crime, why stealing art has historically been an assertion of power, and how exactly the Dresden thieves might have done it.