"Their theory for now is that the thieves dragged the coin through the museum, out the window and then along the railway track, possibly reaching a park on the opposite bank of the river near the Hackescher Markt, a public square in Berlin that is home to a number of late-night bars and cafes."

Thieves stole a 220-pound gold coin -- about the weight of a refrigerator -- from a museum in Berlin.

"Edelman Arts, the company of former Wall Street financier turned art dealer Asher Edelman, filed a lawsuit seeking to complete a $26.8 million sale of four works by Keith Haring and one by Edvard Munch."

Story here.

Do we need more security at museums?

Earlier this month, a visitor to the National Gallery in London slashed a Thomas Gainsborough painting.  (It went back on view yesterday.)  Noah Charney has a suggestion:

"There is no such thing as a risk-free museum, but there is a way to minimize risk of damage and theft, a way that many top museums have chosen (the Louvre, the Prado, the Van Gogh, the Uffizi, to name a few), but which the National Gallery has not — install airport-style security at the entrance. It is a modest inconvenience to museum-goers, but one that they will be used to, from travel in this day and age: moving single-file through a metal detector and having their bags scanned before entering the museum to explore freely. This method would prevent attacks with metal objects, like knives and screwdrivers, and would be a strong deterrent to any attacks at all — potential perpetrators are likely to be scared off by having to pass under the scrutiny of security and move slowly into the museum, clearly filmed on CCTV, and with nervous or suspicious behavior likely to be noted before they even enter. In an era of concern over terrorist attacks on populous sites, this is also a good idea. Of course, a determined baddie can still find ways to damage art, but the risk is mitigated."

"Prosecutors seek 4 years for ex-Field Museum worker who stole nearly $1 million"

Story here.

Could blockchain pave the way for resale royalties? (UPDATED)

Interesting discussion here.

UPDATE:  Michael Rushton tweets:  "That there might be a technology for facilitating it does not make resale royalties a sound idea."

Artist convicted of murder

South African photographer Zwelethu Mthethwa, represented by Jack Shainman Gallery.  Story here.

Held in the public ruff

The Museum of the Dog is coming to New York.

"The jury could have determined that the actual use made by Defendants of the Plaintiff's work was worth $75,000 per infringing copy."

Findlaw:  Sculptor Wins Big in 9th Cir. After Billionaire Copies His Work.

Decision here.  Background here.

"Art Dealer Ordered to Repay Profits From Painting Sale"

Story here.  Decision, by Justice Ramos, here.

Lawsuit Over Stolen Johns Drawings

Artlyst:  "A Canadian gallery has brought a federal complaint against a New York art dealer alleging he tried to give works by the American ‘Pop’ artist Jasper Johns official provenances."

This arises from the theft of works by a longtime studio assistant of Johns, which resulted in an 18-month prison sentence for the assistant.

Greg Allen says the new suit "is bonkers. Dorfman [the dealer] is in deep, pocketed millions, yet not in jail."

"Selfie Snapper Smashes Kusama Pumpkin Sculpture at Hirshhorn Museum"

Story here.  Will Goetzmann tweets that's a "[r]isk of people interacting [with] art. Her work is engaging and fun. Keep it accessible."