The Great Chinese Art Heist - by Ralph Pezzullo (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The extraordinary story of the theft of priceless Chinese antiques around the world and the connection to crimes spanning more than two centuries--with present-day implications.

For the past decade, the art world has been rocked by a series of very costly and elaborately planned heists at major museums. The first took place the night of August 6, 2010 at the Drottningholm Palace in Stockholm, Sweden - the official residence of the Swedish Royal family. Others in France, Great Britain and other countries in Europe followed.

In Norway, masked men rappelled down from a glass ceiling into the prestigious Kode Museum on Bergen's picturesque central square, three blocks from police headquarters. In all of these break-ins, the thieves made away with ancient Chinese artifacts, most of which were originally displayed in the spectacular Old Summer Palace outside of Beijing nearly two centuries ago.

In The Great Chinese Art Heist, bestselling author Ralph Pezzullo takes us back to the Second Opium War and the sacking of Old Summer Palace by French and British troops in 1860 and connects it to the current wave of heists that seem right out of a Mission: Impossible movie. Comprehensive, balanced, entertaining, and expertly balancing diverse cultural and political perspectives, Pezzullo links these looted artifacts and roots of colonialism to today's billionaires and triad gangs, international banks and drug cartels. The wounds of the past, which is still called the "Century of Humiliation" in China, remain raw.

The Great Chinese Art Heist is a sweeping narrative filled with the voices of those who have lived it--art and art crime experts, and museum and government officials in China, Europe, and the US. In this riveting true crime, Pezzulo expertly grapples with the questions of ownership and cultural heritage, and embodies the words of art critic Holland Cotter--"The history of art is, in large part, a theft of history."

Review Quotes

"In this fascinating true crime narrative, Pezzullo traces a string of contemporary art thefts to historical injustices. As Pezzullo entertains theories about who might be behind the thefts, he fashions an enthralling history of Chinese relations with the West from the 19th century to the present, covering the Opium Wars, Europe's tense interactions with Chinese immigrants, and China's eventual rise as a trade superpower. Pezzullo offers a stimulating and entertaining look at their broader context. It's a treat for history buffs and caper fans alike."--Publishers Weekly

"The Great Chinese Art Heist is a timely investigation into the most important issue facing major museums today: the lingering effects of the taking of cultural artifacts during the colonial period. Ralph Pezzullo deftly tells a largely untold story that combines the complex issues of restitution with the drama of a true crime novel."--Anthony M. Amore, author of The Woman Who Stole Vermeer and The Rembrandt Heist

Praise for Zero Footprint

"From the mountains of Tora Bora to the mean streets of Baghdad and Benghazi, Zero Footprint is his harrowing story, intense, frightening, and eventually heart-breaking. One of the best counter-terror memoirs I've ever read."-- "Chuck Pfarrer, SEAL Team Six Assault Element Commander, and author of Philip Nolan: The Man Without a Country"

"Absorbing . . . Well-wrought and exciting . . . A well-developed look inside the life and work of an accomplished private military contractor."
-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"Intimate and visceral."-- "Don D. Mann, SEAL Team SIX (ret.), and author of Inside SEAL Team SIX"

About the Author

Ralph Pezzullo is a New York Times bestselling author and the host of the popular podcast Heroes Behind Headlines. After receiving a Master's Degree in International Affairs, he worked on Capitol Hill and later as a correspondent for Associated Press covering assignments in Latin America, and creating relationships with other diplomats, CIA agents, and military attaches across the world. His more than thirty books include Jawbreaker (with Gary Berntsen), Zero Footprint, Left of Boom, Ghost, and his memoir Saigon, which was recently published in Vietnamese.