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Cloak and Dagger Stuff Without A Trench Coat

Aug 02, 2018
by Caroline Miller
art theft, Art Vigilante, Christies, Christos Tsirogiannis, Liberal Arts Education, Medici, Southeby's, stolen ancient artifacts, Vernon Silver
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Courtesy of google.com

With colleges and universities touting their science and technology departments over humanities and the arts, a person could forget how much fun living the life of Indiana Jones (Click) can be — minus the poison darts, of course.  But it is possible to live the life if one has degrees in art history and archeology, as Christos Tsirogiannis well knows.    

As a child growing up in  Greece, he was fascinated with ancient cultures.  He began a photographic archive of ancient artifacts, and, as a result, the collection became the basis of his Cambridge doctoral thesis.  When his treasure trove came to the attention of various police departments around the world, those charged with reclaiming stolen relics, Tsirogiannis’ adventures began.

From his comfortable home in England, which also shelters his wife and his daughter,  he helps other sleuths find and return antiquities to their countries of origin. 

If brushing shoulders with the dark side of art collecting isn’t exciting enough, he enjoys seeing the culprits go to jail.  Good at his work,  one super villain, known as Medici, charged Tsirogiannis with “doing terrorism toward auction houses and museums.” (“Art Vigilante,” by Vernon Silver, Bloomberg Businessweek, July 2, 2018, pg. 67.)  

How true!  Museums  and auction houses are indeed among his targets.  Thanks to his archives, and his impeccable memory for lost treasures, he has caught Sotheby’s and Christie’s more than once, selling dainties from the antiquities cookie jar.  “How could we know?” the auction houses sniff.  Nonetheless, each time, they’ve been obliged to delete a lucrative item from their catalogues. I doubt that makes them happy with Tsirogiannis.

Of course popularity is relative.  Sotheby’s and Christie’s may not feel welcoming toward him, but police agencies are. And so, too, are the countries that see their treasures returned.  His admirers describe him  as a man with an impeccable eye for “refurbished” goods and a bloodhound’s devotion to the hunt.  

Frankly, I doubt any tech student chasing an algorithm composed of 1s and 0s experiences a greater adrenaline rush than our archeologist scholar as he sits at home, perusing art auction catalogues.  So, let’s hear it for a  liberal arts education.  It appears to be of use, after all.  And don’t forget the fun!

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Contact Caroline at

carolinemiller11@yahoo.com

Portland, Oregon author Caroline Miller had distinguished careers as an educator, union president, elected official and artist/advocate.

Her play, Woman on the Scarlet Beast, was performed at the Post5 Theatre, Portland, OR, January/February 2015

Caroline published a serialized novelette, Marie Eau-Claire, on the website, The Colored Lens.  She also published the story Gustav Pavel,  a parable about ordinary lives, choice and alternate potential, on the website Fixional.co.

Caroline has published four novels

  • Ballet Noir
  • Trompe l’Oeil
  • Gothic Spring
  • Heart Land

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