Art crime and the Wealth of Nations

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss art crime including the destruction of historical sites of artistic and architectural value. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on two quotations from Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations . Findings Art crime involves theft by burglary, robbery, deception (frauds, fakes, forgery, bogus provenance and false attribution), and can be done through money laundering, but there is a particular sinister form of theft by means of destruction. Originality/value Art is a wealth of nations, and provides targets we must protect better.