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Stolen art poster, Interpol, June 2009 (click on image to view larger)

Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The Swiss government said in a statement Monday that Switzerland is well represented among the 400 approved users of Interpol’s new secure online stolen art database. More than 800 searches were made in the first few weeks, with approved users including police, museum curators, collectors and gallery owners, although the database is open to any interested parties who can show why they want to undertake a search.

The government made a “significant financial contribution” to help Interpol make more of its stolen art database available to the public. The database houses information on some 34,000 works of art from around the world that have been stolen or otherwise illicitly obtained, but until August much of the information was limited to specialists. Bern says it supported the project because giving the public up to date information on stolen art helps strengthen the legitimate commercial art market by making it easier to check on the legal status of artwork before buying it.

Switzerland ‘s law on transferring cultural goods, which went into effect in 2005, requires buyers and sellers to check on the source of art before completing a sale. Not doing so is considered a penal crime. Direct access to the database makes it easier for people involved in transactions to check that the art is legally clean, says Bern.

The new web pages include:

• the most recent stolen works of art reported to INTERPOL
• works of art recovered by the police during their enquiries and for which owners have not been identified
• works of art recorded in the INTERPOL database and CD-ROM which have been recovered
• the latest INTERPOL posters showing the most sought after stolen works of art