Artist Recovers 10 More Stolen Paintings; Says Find Is 'Bittersweet'

Baiting Hollow artist Max Moran has good news to report in his odyssey to recover hundreds of works stolen from his Mattituck studio years ago -- 10 more works of art have been found. 

Moran reports that on September 10, ten works were recovered by law enforcement in Ohio. Two of the paintings found were those listed Southold Police Department and FBI reports. The paintings, Moran said, were turned over to his attorney in Columbus by law enforcement. "The FBI emailed their congratulations," Moran said.

The find is the first time law enforcement has recovered his stolen work, Moran said; in other instances when his work was recovered, Moran hired Robert Wittman, founder of the FBI's art crime team, to track down his work in the underground market.

Art heists are big business and are emerging as a billion dollar enterprise; Wittman will be included in a feature airing on CNBC Thursday at 9 p.m. called "Art for the Taking," Moran said. Moran said in the clip for the program, he noticed former Southold Town Police Chief Carlisle "Ty" Cochran standing next to a painting that had been one of several stolen and recovered last year from homes in East Hampton Village, Southampton Village, Southold and Shelter Island in a widely publicized art heist

Of his recently recovered works, Moran said, "I couldn't be happier to have them returned."

For Moran, a plein air impressionist painter, who has been on a years-long quest after hundreds of paintings and sketches were stolen from his Mattituck studio in 2004 and 2006, the road to recovering his artwork has been long.

Two recovered paintings that were brought home this July were featured at Moran's which ended Sunday.  

But Moran's search is far from over. "The recovery of the artwork is bittersweet," he said. "I feel a great sense of satisfaction and relief to have ten more pieces of artwork returned, yet frustrated so many other important pieces are still unaccounted for and that no charges have been filed. Unlike most stolen property, significant works of art become more important with time - not less."

Moran said he is grateful for the involvment of police departments and the FBI in securing the work.