The Louvre Heist and Shady Billionaire Art Owners
About this episode
Amy Odell and Jo Piazza discuss the October 2025 Louvre heist, exploring the suspects, art laundering, and the influence of billionaire families in the art market.
"Parisian Heist" author Jo Piazza joins Amy to break down the October 2025 Louvre robbery — the suspects, the mysterious "sponsor," and why authorities aren't sure the suspects are telling the truth. Plus: why museum security is so basic, how art gets used to launder money and fund violent crime, the billionaire families who quietly run the art market, and what a $181 million Jackson Pollock says about the state of art and wealth. (00:00) Introduction (02:30) Recap: the Louvre heist, October 19, 2025 (04:30) The Isabella Stewart Gardner heist: $500M, still unsolved (07:30) The arrests and the mysterious "sponsor" named Joe (08:30) How basic museum security really is (13:00) What was stolen: the Napoleonic crown jewels (16:30) The Wildensteins & how art launders money (30:00) The $60 billion shadow art market (31:00) Restoring Empress Eugénie's crown & the French jewelry houses (38:30) The $181M Pollock & Jerry Saltz's takedown of the art market Subscribe to the Back Row newsletter: https://www.backrow.net/subscribe Buy The Parisian Heist: https://amzn.to/4yLV6ex Follow Back Row: @backrow · Follow Amy: @instamyodell · Follow Jo: @jopiazzaauthor Edited by Chrissi Harris. Learn more…
People in this episode
Host: Amy Odell
Guest: Jo Piazza
Topics covered
- art theft
- museum security
- money laundering
- billionaire art owners
- Louvre robbery
- art market
Keywords
- Louvre heist
- art theft
- money laundering
- museum security
- billionaires
- Jackson Pollock
- Isabella Stewart Gardner
- Wildensteins
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Wildensteins
Books & works: The Parisian Heist, Napoleonic crown jewels, $181M Pollock
Places: Paris
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