22 Lost Artworks: da Vinci’s Paintings, WWII Art, & Missing Masterpieces

Which famous mural by Leonardo da Vinci was lost after attempts to use an experimental paint technique caused the work to melt and drip off the walls?

Which of the following causes led to the destruction of the Crystal Palace in London in 1936, resulting in the loss of this iconic Victorian landmark?

Which Rembrandt painting, stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990, remains one of the most valuable missing works of art in the world?

The ‘Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I’, famously seized by the Nazis and later recovered, is a masterpiece by which painter?

The Amber Room, a world-famous chamber of gold and amber panels, was looted during World War II by German forces from which royal palace near St. Petersburg?

Which ancient institution, famously lost to fire, reportedly contained the largest collection of scrolls and knowledge in the ancient world?

Many of which artist’s works held in the ‘Degenerate Art’ exhibition were subsequently destroyed or sold by the Nazi regime in the 1930s?

Which major 20th-century event was responsible for the destruction of numerous art collections in London?

What medium were the ancient Riace Warriors made of, a type of work often melted down historically for weaponry or coinage?

‘Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence’ is a famous painting by which artist that was stolen by the Sicilian Mafia in 1969 and never recovered?

What is the term for the historical ‘chain of custody’ used by investigators to determine if art was looted by the Nazis?

Which masterpiece, panels of which were famously stolen during WWII, is considered one of the most frequently looted and recovered works in history?

What institution has faced extensive scrutiny regarding the restitution of art looted by the Nazis from Dutch Jewish collectors?

The bulk of state-sanctioned Nazi art theft and destruction occurred during which decade?

Which of the following was tragically destroyed in the 1867 fire at the Basilica of Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Venice?

What was the nickname of the Allied group tasked with protecting and recovering art stolen by the Nazis during World War II?

Many of the late-period works by Donatello were created in which material, making them highly susceptible to loss by fire or rot?

Which major gallery lost several masterpieces, including works by Dutch masters, during the 1993 Via dei Georgofili bombing?

What 1998 international agreement established guidelines for resolving claims related to Nazi-looted art?

Which Vincent van Gogh work was tragically consumed by fire in a museum in Magdeburg, Germany, during an Allied bombing raid in 1945?

What massive collection of Trojan artifacts, discovered by Heinrich Schliemann, went missing from the Berlin Museum during the aftermath of WWII?

Which of the following is considered a modern example of art market manipulation rather than historical wartime looting?