Hackers have stolen £2.4million paid by a museum for a John Constable painting after they posed as an art dealer.
Cyber-criminals intercepted emails sent between Rijksmuseum Twenthe, in the Netherlands, and London art dealer Dickinson, arranging the sale of Constable’s 1824 ‘A View of Hampstead Heath: Child’s Hill, Harrow in the Distance’.
They contacted the museum claiming to be Dickinson, the dealer who specialises in Old Master paintings, and told it to pay £2.4million to a Hong Kong-based bank account.
John Constable’s 1824 landscape A View of Hampstead Heath: Child’s Hill, Harrow in the Distance
The painting had been sent to the museum and Dickinson was denied the funds from the sale, the Sunday Telegraph reported.
It has prompted experts to issue warnings over cyber-crime in the art world. The case is not an exception, with other international dealerships reportedly targeted.
In the case of the Constable, Rijksmuseum Twenthe sued Dickinson in the High Court in London after it claimed the dealership was negligent for not realising emails sent were fraudulent.
The museum’s claim for damages was thrown out in January, this year although the court is yet to rule on the ownership of the painting.
Lawyers, on behalf of the dealer’s firm Dickinson, have argued the museum should have confirmed the bank details were legitimate before the painting was sent.
Cyber-criminals intercepted emails sent between Rijksmuseum Twenthe (pictured), in the Netherlands, and London art dealer Dickinson, arranging the sale of Constable’s 1824 ‘A View of Hampstead Heath: Child’s Hill, Harrow in the Distance’
Susan Mumford, founder and chief executive of the Association of Women Art Dealers, told the newspaper a failure to carry out basic checks had helped encourage the rise in theft.
‘The issue is lack of due diligence and controls. To send £2.4million to Hong Kong when the dealer is based in London brings up an immediate question and anyone sending a sizeable fund these days should be double checking,’ she said.
‘This kind of fraud is becoming really common and is one of the biggest risks to art dealers today, but I haven’t come across a case where such a large sum has been transferred to the wrong account.
‘Putting measures in place is essential. You need to verbally confirm with a dealer whether the bank details are correct.
‘You need to make sure it’s two individuals who know each other’s voices. If you do that and also have cyber insurance, you’ve taken really good measures. If you do neither then you don’t have a leg to stand on.’
Dickinson was founded in 1993 by Simon Dickinson and David Ker, specialising in Old Master and British Paintings. In 1995 the dealership diversified to include Impressionist and Modern Art. It now also deals in Contemporary Art.
The dealership has been responsible for sales of works including ‘The Meeting of the Three Kings, with David and Isiah’, by the Master of the St Bartholomew Alterpiece, and Francis Bacon’s ‘Three Studies for a Self-Portrait’.
The dealership currently lists works by Old Masters Francesco Fontebasso, Marcantonio Franceschini and Isaac van Duynen on its books.
Emma Ward, Dickinson’s managing director, said: ‘This unfortunate event highlights the dangers of cyber crime in the art world, which is regrettable for both the museum and Dickinson, especially when both are victims in this instance.
‘Dickinson hopes that the case will result with an awareness of cyber threats and preventive precautions in the art community.’
The son of a Suffolk corn trader, John Constable persuaded his father to allow him to pursue a career in art and became known for his landscape paintings.
In 2012 ‘The Lock’ – one of a series of six large-scale canvases which includes ‘The Hay Wain’ – was sold for £22.4million. It is a landscape depicting a man at a lock with a boat on the river just behind him, set under a towering tree and a dramatic, cloud-filled sky.
Rijksmuseum Twenthe was approached for comment.