AllMovie

Hosted by Law & Order star Jesse L. Martin, this five-part cable series recounted six of the boldest and most spectacular art thefts and swindles of the 20th century. The opening episode traced the investigation following the stealing of Edvard Munch's classic painting The Scream from Norway's National Gallery -- a pilfering so brazen that the thieves left behind a mocking note, thanking the curators for their poor security. Subsequent episodes concentrated on the theft of Rubens' Aurora, the stealing of some irreplaceable Egyptian scrolls, and an international forgery scam. Although it was shown that the culprits were invariably captured, one came away from the series with a grudging respect for the ingenuity that went into the crimes. Art Crimes and Mysteries first aired April 7, 2003, on the Bravo network.