In this episode of the Art Elevator Podcast, Larissa Wild interviews Doug Bort on Art and Money Laundering. In this first episode of a three part series on art crime, they discuss:
- What money laundering is
- How art is used in money laundering
- Some case studies and surprising statistics on art and money laundering
Founder and Managing Partner of Odyssey Global Consulting, LLC, Doug Bort spent twenty-one years as a Special Agent with the United States Customs Service and Homeland Security Investigations. Doug is a Subject Matter Expert in the investigation of art and cultural property crimes.
During his tenure with Homeland Security Investigations, Doug represented the United States in international investigations around the world and was heavily involved in United States national policy decisions and international diplomacy. With a proven record of successfully leading complex international investigations, his work has resulted in the recovery and return of over $3 million worth of cultural property to its rightful owners.
Notably, Doug developed and operated an extremely effective undercover platform which targeted the illegal sales of cultural property, art and antiquities, including sales that funded international terrorist organizations. He was also instrumental in cultivating, developing, and conducting training for other Special Agents and law enforcement agencies, both in the United States and abroad, pertaining to the investigation of art and cultural property crimes.
Now in the private sector, Doug uses his vast knowledge and extensive experience to provide expert services to museums, private collectors, insurance companies and other individual clients.
This episode of The Art Elevator is brought to you by Artifactual History and Larissa Wild Fine Art, where we explore the fascinating stories behind the scenes in the art world. To stay inspired and informed, join our email list today! You'll receive updates about our latest creations, valuable tips, and a deeper look into the art world.
Heather Bhandari (she/her) is the Co-Founder of Art World Learning (AWL): a subscription-based, online education platform to help those in the creative sector thrive by making intelligent business and financial decisions. It grew from a business and financial health conference for visual artists, named Art World Conference (AWC), which debuted in NYC in April of 2019, Los Angeles in February of 2020, and online in October of 2020. She and her AWL co-founder, Dexter Wimberly, were listed in the Observer's "Arts Power 50: Changemakers Shaping the Art World in 2019."
Heather is also an independent curator; a co-founder of the project-based curatorial team and podcast, The Remix; a trustee of Art Omi (an international artist residency in Ghent, NY); and an adjunct lecturer at Brown University where she teaches professional practice to visual arts majors. The second edition of her book, ART/WORK, was published by Simon and Schuster in October of 2017.
From 2000 to 2016 Heather was a director of Mixed Greens, a commercial gallery in Chelsea where she curated well over one hundred exhibitions while managing a roster of nearly two-dozen emerging to mid-career artists. Most recently, she was the Director of Exhibitions at Smack Mellon, a nonprofit in Brooklyn. Heather received a BA from Brown University and an MFA from Pennsylvania State University where she recently received their College of Arts and Architecture Distinguished Alumni Award. Her career began at contemporary galleries Sonnabend and Lehmann Maupin, both in New York City. Here are some of the key points from this interview:
The reality for most artists is they need to run a business as well as create masterpieces, and often incredible artists aren’t wired for the former skillset. Heather covers some of the fundamentals an artist needs to have a viable career from a business standpoint
Learn the benefit to society at large from providing this education for artists
While we can question the root problems that have plagued “starving” artists in making a living to survive and thrive, hear what Heather Bhandari and Dexter Wimberly are doing to turn this around and empower artists through Art World Learning
This episode of The Art Elevator is brought to you by Artifactual History and Larissa Wild Fine Art, where we explore the fascinating stories behind the scenes in the art world. To stay inspired and informed, join our email list today! You'll receive updates about our latest creations, valuable tips, and a deeper look into the art world.
With 3D printing, virtual reality and other technologies available, sculptors have an opportunity to explore the three dimensional in a way not previously possible. Join Larissa Wild as she chats with Nick Ervinck on how he harnesses these technologies to create works that speak to the present and the future, though remain grounded in the lineage of sculpture through time.
As an artist I am particularly interested in the tension between nature and culture, between tradition and innovation.
I try to push the limits of digital possibilities, while maintaining respect for the (art) historical legacy. When creating a work I investigate the possibilities between the organic and the digital, between the virtual and the physical.
I explore classical themes such as man (with a focus on the anatomy and the emergence of cyborgs), plants (especially their genetic manipulation), masks and animals, always starting from an (art) historical background that I cut with contemporary pop and sci-fi culture.
This episode of The Art Elevator is brought to you by Artifactual History and Larissa Wild Fine Art, where we explore the fascinating stories behind the scenes in the art world. To stay inspired and informed, join our email list today! You'll receive updates about our latest creations, valuable tips, and a deeper look into the art world.
