Report a work

Theft implies removal: burglary, pickpocketing, theft in transit. It must be reported to the police before being reported to OIMAP. Loss concerns a work mislaid without criminal intent: house move, loan not returned, poorly inventoried estate.

The suspect work is one you come across on the market and think might be stolen or looted: dubious listing, evasive seller, inconsistent provenance. The report is then an alert given to the BIOP unit, without accusation.

A precise description of the work, good photographs, the circumstances of the disappearance and, if possible, the police report number. If the work is registered, the OIMAP number simplifies everything, because the record already exists.

The more detailed the description, the easier the recognition: exact dimensions, signatures, marks on the back, gallery labels, restorations. A tiny detail can allow identification on the other side of the world.

An analyst checks the file, contacts the reporter if necessary, then publishes the alert. Subscribed operators and law enforcement are informed. If a match is found, the reporter is told and the unit coordinates with the police.

The reporter can follow the status of their file on the Desk. They must inform OIMAP if the work is found, so that the alert can be closed quickly and a good-faith buyer is not needlessly penalised.

The OIMAP alert complements but does not replace filing a complaint. The complaint triggers the investigation and makes it possible to assert one's rights with the insurer. OIMAP then relays the information to foreign law enforcement, which the national police cannot always do.

For a lost work, the declaration can be made without a complaint, but a receipt for the declaration of loss is useful for insurance. OIMAP supplies a template declaration.