The Globe and Mail follows up the news of a recovered Jean-Paul Riopelle painting with a quick recap of his fame which, the paper says, is one of the reasons his work has been stolen often. Today, Riopelle may be better known for his relationship with Joan Mitchell but in the 1950s and 60s, he was a huge international name. That fame has led to his work being targeted for theft and used as an underground currency.

The Global and Mail explains:

The draw of Riopelle works to thieves is a simple case of high supply, high profile and high demand. He had a prolific career before his death in 2002, he was globally famous for decades and his works routinely draw six-figure prices on the international market. His greatest paintings have sold for $1-million or more at least 14 times, but he also created hundreds of smaller, easy-to-carry works.

The Globe and Mail says Riopelle’s work has been reported stolen 19 times in the past 25 years. That’s just the reported thefts. The paper spoke to Montreal dealer Simon Blais:Continue Reading