As prices for contemporary art sold at auction have spiralled out of control, the number of major art heists has been rising as well, and there’s a very real connection between the two events. “Art is often stolen for use as collateral in arms and drugs deals or as a commodity that can be exchanged between criminal organisations… Art works often circulate in criminal networks… for years, only turning up by chance when police raids aimed at other illegal activities uncover them. But it is not uncommon for insurance companies to pay a ransom for the return of valuable works, and this underpins their value as illicit goods.”