Art of the Heist

On December 22nd, 2000 three of the world's greatest art treasures were stolen from the National Museum in Stockholm. Together the Rembrandt and two Renoir paintings were valued at 50 million dollars.

It was the biggest art heist in American history - half a billion dollar's worth of paintings snatched from the walls of a Boston gallery. The haul included a rare Vermeer and paintings by Rembrandt and Degas.

It's the most important question in the worldwide art market is it genuine? Or is it fake? When a forgery is passed off as the real thing, there are fortunes to be made and lost. For nearly a decade two Englishmen did just that.

The Scream by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch is one of the most famous and powerful images in history. In the past 12 years, it has been the target of thieves not once but twice. One version, stolen in 1994, was recovered.

Nearly thirty years ago seven paintings, including a priceless Cezanne, were stolen from a private collection in America. As the years passed, Michael Bakwin, who owned the paintings, though he would never get see his precious Cezanne again.

In the 1970s, the black market in religious artifacts had exploded into a multi-million dollar industry. The war-torn island of Cyprus was being picked clean.