René Allonge: Spectacular Cases of Art Investigation at the Bergson

Art theft, art robbery, and art forgeries fascinate the public just as much as they cause a stir. Berlin Chief Detective René Allonge provides insight into the work of Berlin’s Art Investigation Unit and demonstrates how the police and the art world collaborate. He explains the path to becoming an art investigator, the methods used to uncover art forgeries, and the challenges involved in securing and legally returning stolen works of art. Using spectacular cases from his career, Allonge illustrates the work of the investigators. Among other things, his career has included the apprehension of the international art forger Wolfgang Beltracchi, the discovery of the Thorak horses (“Hitler’s horses”) and John Lennon’s diaries, the investigation into the break-in at the Bode Museum involving the theft of the 100-kilogram “Big Maple Leaf” gold coin, and the investigation into the 1979 Gotha art heist—the largest art theft in the former GDR.