How to Steal a Million – Famous Art Thefts
Shauna Isaac gives this month's talk hosted by The Arts Society Ealing
The Mona Lisawas stolen from the Louvre in 1911
March 16, 2026
Audacious art heists have a way of capturing the public imagination. They unfold like scenes from a blockbuster thriller: masked intruders, splitsecond timing, priceless masterpieces spirited away in the dead of night. Yet behind the glamour lies a world of calculated risk, human error, and painstaking detective work.
The Arts Society Ealing’s upcoming lecture, How to Steal a Million – Famous Art Thefts, promises to take audiences deep inside some of the most notorious art crimes in history. The evening will explore what drives art thieves, the surprising traits many highprofile thefts share, and the crucial mistakes that ultimately allowed investigators to recover stolen works. In several cases, the police operations mounted to retrieve the art were every bit as daring as the thefts themselves.
The talk will be delivered by Shauna Isaac, a leading specialist in World War II art restitution. She has spent years working with families and government bodies to trace and recover art looted by the Nazis, bringing a rare depth of insight into the murky intersection of crime, history, and cultural heritage.
A graduate of the Courtauld Institute of Art and Smith College, she lectures regularly at the Sotheby’s Institute of Art, and her writing has appeared in The Art Newspaper, The Times Literary Supplement and Art Quarterly.
It is taking place on Monday 23 March at St Barnabas Church Hall, Pitshanger Lane, Ealing (W5 1QG) with the lecture beginning at 7:30pm and doors open from 6:45pm.Visitors are warmly welcomed. Tickets are £10 per lecture (or £3 for students) and can be purchased by card on the evening.
The Arts Society Ealing belongs to the large umbrella organisation, The Arts Society, previously known as the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies (NADFAS), which was founded in 1968. The local Society has a membership of around 140.
The Arts Society Ealing holds 10 lectures a year and more information can be found by visiting its web site.
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