FBI Launches Mobile App For Public To Help Locate Stolen Art

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been doubling down on art crime probes in recent times. According to Artnet News, there are now about two dozen agents dedicated to this area around the country. Now, the bureau has launched a smartphone app to widen the net for art discovery, in hopes of solving such cases more quickly.

The FBI’s new National Stolen Art File (NASF) app opens up access to its database of stolen art. Now, anyone with an iOS or Android device—not just law enforcement and art experts—can browse these resources while on the go through a user-friendly interface, and provide intel to the authorities if they have any.

“One of the biggest evolutions for NSAF was making it publicly available,” explains Colleen Childers of the FBI’s Art Crime Program. “Now, with the new mobile upgrade that we’ve undergone, we want to continue to push to make it a more user-friendly platform.”

The app currently shows 4,522 missing items across 21 categories, among which are Claude Monet paintings, Tiffany lamps, and Stradivarius violins. Each listing comes with an image, a description, and basic object details.

Users can filter the objects down to location and description, as well as ‘favorite’ listings and share them with friends on social media, text, and email.

All told, the app is still pretty buggy, with searches sometimes yielding no results.

Still, considering how well-informed the public has grown to be in the realms of art and culture, this is a step in the right direction. Art sleuths, let the investigations begin.

[via Hyperallergic and Artnet News, images via various sources]