Andrew Wyeth was one of the best known American artists in the world in the 20th century with his works being sought after by serious art collectors worldwide. A gang of thieves decided to steal an original Wyeth painting for their “retirement” and engaged a professional cat burglar (who was responsible for more than 1,500 crimes during his criminal career) to steal a Wyeth painting. The theft resulted in taking 15 paintings from the Wyeth estate in picturesque Chadds Ford, PA. Seven were done by Andrew, six by Jamie and the other two by California artists. Today those paintings would be worth millions of dollars. The FBI and Pennsylvania State Police were the investigating agencies. Were the paintings still in America, Europe or Asia? Were the paintings pre-sold and in a private collection, being stored for future sales or destroyed because the artwork was so well known? The search for the paintings takes the investigators throughout the United States and involves dangerous thieves, gamblers, drug dealers and murderers. In the process of tracking down the thieves and the paintings, hundreds of other crimes were solved.

Bruce Mowday is an author and newspaper reporter. He lives in Downington, PA.

Description courtesy of Barricade Books.

PA Books airs Sunday nights at 7.