Lost artworks

Lost artworks are original pieces of art that cannot be accounted for in museums, private collections, or known to have been destroyed or neglected through ignorance and lack of connoisseurship.

For lost literary works, see Lost work.

Works are listed chronologically by when they were created, not by when they were destroyed or lost.

Classical era

*The "Colossus of Rhodes", one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
*The "Statue of Zeus at Olympia", one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
*The "Athena Parthenos", originally housed in the Parthenon

5th century

*Mosaic portraits of members of the western and eastern imperial families and the bishop of Ravenna, commissioned by Galla Placidia in the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista, Ravenna (c. 425 C.E.). Destroyed by 1747.

6th century

*The Buddhas of Bamyan, destroyed by the Taliban in 2001.

8th century

*Many icons were destroyed during the reign of Leo III the Isaurian, including a famous image on the Chalke Gate. The Byzantine Historian Procopius described this image as "a tall, vaulted building with a central dome....covered with mosaics depicting the victories of Justinian and Belisarius ...in the center was a great golden icon of Christ." (Procopius. The Buildings. I, 10. Trans. Dewing, H.B., and Downey, Glanville. Boston: Loeb Classical Library. 1940.) Only a few icons from this period survive, saved outside of imperial control at St. Catherine's Monastery, in the Sinai.

11th century

*The final portion of the Bayeux Tapestry was deliberately removed at some point, and is now lost.

14th century

* The great Navicella mosaic of Giotto di Bondone on the porch of Old Saint Peter's Basilica.
* Giotto's frescoes (Stories of the Apostles) for the Giugni Chapel of the Basilica of Santa Croce, Florence.
*Fresco, "Saint Margaret of Cortona bringing Suppolino back to Life," by Ambrogio Lorenzetti in the Church of Santa Margherita, Cortona. Destroyed mid - 17th century.
* Portrait of Petrarch's Laura de Noves by Simone Martini.

15th century

*"Virgin Enthroned with Saints and Angels" (1402) by Lorenzo Monaco. Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturm following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
* Statue of "Abundance (Dovizia)" in stone carved by Donatello (1428). On a column placed first in the Baptistery of the Duomo, later in the Mercato Vecchio, Florence. Replaced in the 18th century, now lost.
* Frescoes by Gentile da Fabriano and Pisanello in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, Rome. Destroyed in reconstruction, 1647.
* The "Sagra del Carmine", fresco for the cloister of Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence, by Masaccio (1425) representing the consecration of the church in 1422. Destroyed by 1600.
*Fresco of the "Confirmation of the Rules of the Carmelites" by Filippo Lippi in the cloister of Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence. Destroyed by fire, 1771. A fragment uncovered in 1860 survives in place.
* School of Fra Angelico. "Last Judgment" (1456). Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturn following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
*Fresco of the "Flagellation" by Andrea del Castagno in the cloister of the Basilica of Santa Croce, Florence, destroyed in the 17th century.
*Frescoes of the life of the Virgin (1450-1452) begun by Domenico Veneziano and completed by Andrea del Castagno in the church of Sant' Egidio, Florence. Destroyed in the 18th century.
*Altarpiece with scenes from the life of Saint Nicholas by Antonello da Messina for the Confraternity of San Nicolò della Montagna in Messina. Seen by Cavalcaselle in 1871. Destroyed in the 1908 Messina earthquake.
*"Virgin and Child in Glory with Saints John the Evangelist, Francis, Jerome and John the Baptist" (c. 1496) by Ghirlandaio. Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturm following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
*Several original paintings on "pagan" subjects by Sandro Botticelli, who burned them in the Bonfire of the Vanities.
*Altarpiece for the church of Santa Maria dei Battuti in Belluno (c. 1485) by Alvise Vivarini. Destroyed by fire in Berlin during World War II.
*Frescoes, including a "Baptism of Christ" for the Belvedere Chapel of the Vatican (1488) by Andrea Mantegna. Destroyed under Pope Pius VI to permit construction of the Pio-Clementino Museum, 1780.
*"Saint Catherine of Siena Altarpiece (Sacra Conversazione)" by Giovanni Bellini in the Chapel of the Rosary of the Church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice. Destroyed by fire in 1867.
*"The Supper at Emmaus" (c. 1494) by Giovanni Bellini. Painted for Giorgio Cornaro of Venice. Destroyed by fire in Vienna in the 18th c.
*Fresco, "Ascension with Christ in Glory" (c.1478-80) by Melozzo da Forli for the choir of the Church of the Santi Apostoli in Rome. Destroyed in 1711 for the enlargement of the choir, 1711. Fragments survive in the Vatican and Quirinal.
*"The Court of Pan," by Signorelli. Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturm following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
*Fresco of Madonna and Saints for the Tower of Cittâ di Castello (1474) by Signorelli. Destroyed by earthquake in 1789.
*"Adoration of the Magi" fresco by Perugino for the convent of S. Giusto alla Mura.
*Van EyckLower left panel titled "The Just Judges" of the Ghent Altarpiece, stolen in 1934, now lost.
* The "Justice of Trajan" and the "Justice of Herkenbald" by Rogier van der Weyden. Painted for the 'Gulden Camere' (Golden Chamber) of the Brussels Town Hall. The first dated 1439. Destroyed in the French bombardment of Brussels in 1695.
*"Descent from the Cross" altarpiece by Jan Mabuse executed for the church of Middelburg. Destroyed by fire, 1568.
* Tapestries of the "Great History of Troy" (c. 1475) for the Painted Chamber of the Palace of Westminster, London. Removed 1820 and sold for ten pounds sterling to a London merchant. Presumed destroyed.

16th century

*"Assumption of the Virgin" (c.1507-08) by Fra Bartolommeo. Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturn following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
*"Leda and the Swan" (1508) by Leonardo da Vinci
*"Battle of Anghiari" by Leonardo da Vinci (Palazzo Vecchio)
*Cartoon by Michelangelo of the battle of Cascina, Palazzo Vecchio, putatively destroyed by Bandinelli
*A painting of "Leda and the Swan" (circa 1530) by Michelangelo
*A marble "Cupid" by Michelangelo, later owned by Isabella d'Este and Charles I. Destroyed in a fire at Whitehall Palace, London, 1698.
*A bronze statue of David resting his foot on the severed head of Goliath, by Michelangelo.
*"Altarpiece of the Madonna and Child with St. Mary Magdalen and St. Lucy" by Antonio da Correggio.
*Fresco of "The Coronation of the Virgin" for the church of San Giovanni Evangelista, Parma, by Correggio. Destroyed 1587. Fragments in National Gallery, London, other museums.
*"Portrait of a Young Man" by Raphael. Confiscated by the Nazis, now lost [http://pacb.bfn.org/calendar/winid.html] .
*"Baronci altarpiece (the Crowning of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino)" by Raphael. His first recorded commission, it was made for Andrea Baronci's chapel in the church of Sant'Agostino in Citta di Castello, near Urbino. Destroyed in an 18th c. earthquake. At least four fragments survive (Louvre, Capodimonte).
*"The Wedding of Neptune and Amphitrite," silver bowl by Cellini. Taken from the Chapter of the Basilica of Santa Barbara, Modena, by the French, 1796. Presumed lost.
*"Ascension of Mary altarpiece (The ‘Heller altar’)" by Dürer. The central panel added to the collection of Elector Maximilian of Bavaria, later lost in a fire in 1729.
*"Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg, Archbishop of Mainz," "Virgin and Child with Four Female Saints," and "Madonna and Child with Infant Saint John" by Cranach the Elder. Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturn following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
*"Market Day" by Pieter Brueghel the Elder. Depicted in the 17th c. gallery of Cornelis van der Geest painted by Willem van Hoecht.
*Hans Holbein the Younger's Whitehall Mural of Henry VIII and family in Whitehall Palace, London, destroyed by fire in 1698.
*"The Family of Sir Thomas More" by Holbein. Destroyed by fire at Kremsier Castle, the Moravian residence of Carl von Liechtenstein, archbishop of Olmutz, 1752.
*Various works of Titian (including his "Battle of Cadore" and "Doge Gritti Praying to the Virgin"), Tintoretto (his "Last Judgment"), Paolo Veronese (his "Homage of Frederick I"), Gentile da Fabriano, Pisanello, Carpaccio (his "Battle of Ancona"), Alvise Vivarini ("Otho Promising to Mediate Between Venice and Barbarossa"),Guariento (his "Paradise"), Gentile and Giovanni Bellini were lost in a fire at the Doge's Palace in Venice in 1577.
*"Portrait of Isabella d’Este in Red" by Titian.
*"Martyrdom of St Peter" (Titian, Santi Giovanni e Paolo) (fire).
*Double Portrait of Emperor Charles V and his wife Isabella of Portugal by Titian. Destroyed in the Alcazar palace fire, Madrid, 1734. A copy by Rubens survives.
*"Ixion" and "Tantalus" by Titian. Destroyed in the Alcazar palace fire, Madrid, 1734.
* Paintings of "The Twelve Caesars," by Titian. Destroyed in the Alcazar palace fire, Madrid, 1734.
*"Venus in Front of her Mirror" by Titian. Lost from the Spanish royal collection in the 19th century. A copy by Rubens survives.
*Fresco of God the Father and the Four Evangelists by Pontormo in the Capponi Chapel, Church of Santa Felicita, Florence. Destroyed in 18th century remodeling.
*"Last Judgement Cartoons", (Pontormo, San Lorenzo) covered over.

17th century

* Equestrian bronze statue of Henry IV of France by Giovanni da Bologna. Presented to Marie de Medicis by Cosimo II of Tuscany in 1614. Melted for cannon during the French Revolution.
*"Time Saving Truth from Envy and Discord" by Nicolas Poussin.
*"Penance", one of the seven "Sacraments" (1637-40) by Nicolas Poussin, destroyed by fire at Belvoir Castle in 1816.
*"Queen Esther Approaching the Palace of Ahasuerus" (1658) by Claude Lorrain. Destroyed in a fire at Fonthill Abbey, 1755.
*"Saint Job Triptych" by Rubens (1613). Destroyed in the French bombardment of Brussels, 1695.
*"Cambyses Appointing Otanes Judge" by Rubens. Decoration for the Magistrates' Hall, Brussels.Destroyed in the French bombardment of Brussels, 1695.
*"Satyr, Nymph, Putti and Leopards" by Rubens (1618). Now known only from engraving.
*"Crucifixion with Mary, St. John, Magdalen," by Rubens (1622). Destroyed by English Parliamentarians in the Queen's Chapel, Somerset House, London, 1643.
*"Equestrian Portrait of the Archduke Albert" by Rubens.
*"Equestrian Portrait of Philip IV of Spain" by Rubens. Destroyed in the Alcazar royal palace fire, Madrid, 1734. A copy is in the Uffizi Gallery.
*"The Continence of Scipio" by Rubens. Destroyed by fire in the Western Exchange, Old Bond Street, London, March 1836.
*"Equestrian Portrait of the Duke of Buckingham" by Rubens. Later owned by the Earl of Jersey at Osterley Park. Destroyed by fire in 1949.
*Series of 39 ceiling paintings for the Jesuit Church in Antwerp, designed by Rubens, largely executed by Van Dyck. Destroyed by fire in 1718.
* "Group portrait of the Town Council of Brussels" by Van Dyck. Destroyed in the bombardment of Brussels, 1695.
*"Christ Crowned with Thorns," "Lamentation over Christ," "Nymphs Surprised by Satyrs," and "Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist" by Van Dyck. Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturm, following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
*"Birth of Christ" by Gerrit van Honthorst. Destroyed in the car bombing of the Uffizi Gallery, Florence, May 1993.
*"The Circumcision" (1646) by Rembrandt.
*"Bentheim Castle with Christ and Disciples on the Road to Emmaus" by Jacob van Ruisdael. Destroyed by fire at the Boijmans Museum, Rotterdam, 1864.
*Large family portrait by Carel Fabritius. Destroyed by fire at the Boijmans Museum, Rotterdam, 1864.
*"Sleeping Man" by Aelbert Cuyp. Destroyed by fire at the Boijmans Museum, Rotterdam, 1864.
*"A ‘Gentleman washing his hands in a see-through room (half-door) with sculptures, artful and rare,’" by Vermeer, listed in the catalogue of the Dissius auction, Holland, 1696.
*"The Inspiration of Matthew" first version by Caravaggio (~1601) (Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturm, following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.)
*"Christ on the Mount of Olives" by Caravaggio (1605). From the collection of Vincenzo Giustiniani. Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturm, following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
* "Fillide Melandroni" (c.1597) by Caravaggio. Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturm, following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
*A portrait of Alof de Wignacourt by Caravaggio.
*"Saint John," "Saint Francis," and a "Resurrection," by Caravaggio, done for Sant’Anna dei Lombardi, Naples. Destroyed in an earthquake, 1798.
*"The Conversion of Saint Paul" altarpiece by Orazio Gentileschi, done for the basilica of San Paolo fuori le Mura, Rome. Destroyed by fire, 1823.
*"The Stoning of Saint Stephen" altarpiece by Lavinia Fontana, done for the basilica of San Paolo fuori le Mura, Rome. Destroyed by fire, 1823.
*"La Buonavventura" and "Ciclo Vito" by Bartolomeo Manfredi. Destroyed in the car bombing of the Uffizi Gallery, Florence, May 1993.
*"Danae" by Annibale Carracci. Formerly Ellesmere collection, Bridgewater House, London. Destroyed by enemy action in World War II.
*"Saint Gregory Praying for Souls in Purgatory" (c.1600), altarpiece painted by Annibale Caracci for the church of San Gregorio Magno, Rome. Formerly Ellesmere collection, Bridgewater House, London. Destroyed by enemy action in World War II.
*"Descent from the Cross" by Ludovico Carracci. Formerly Ellesmere collection, Bridgewater House, London. Destroyed by enemy action in World War II.
*"Bacchus and Ariadne" by Guido Reni. Commissioned for Queen Henrietta Maria's house at Greenwich, 1637. Destroyed in the English civil war.
*"Immaculate Conception" by Guido Reni. Formerly Cathedral of Seville, Spain, later in the Ellesmere collection, Bridgewater House, London. Destroyed by enemy action in World War II.
*"Bust of Charles I" by Bernini, in marble. Destroyed in the Whitehall Palace fire, London, 1698.
*"Crucified Christ" by Bernini, in bronze. Formerly in the French royal collection. Destroyed in the French Revolution.
*"Expulsion of the Moors with Philip III" (1627) by Velasquez. Destroyed in the Alcazar palace fire, Madrid, 1734.
*"Venus and Adonis" by Velasquez. Destroyed in the Alcazar palace fire, Madrid, 1734.
*"Cupid and Psyche" by Velasquez. Destroyed in the Alcazar palace fire, Madrid, 1734.
*"Apollo and Marsyas" by Velasquez. Destroyed in the Alcazar palace fire, Madrid, 1734.
*"Saint Bonaventure Reveals the Crucifix to Saint Thomas Aquinas" by Zurbarán. Destroyed by fire in the Friedrichshain Flakturm, following the capture of Berlin, May 1945.
*"William III Leading Troops at the Battle of the Boyne" by Godfrey Kneller. Destroyed by fire in Grocers' Hall, London, September 22, 1965.

18th century

*The Amber Room of the Catherine Palace in Russia was lost during World War II.
*"The Drawing Lesson" and "A Girl Reciting her Gospel" by Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin.
*"Decorations for the Chateau de la Muette: the Goddess Ki Mao Sao in the Kingdom of Mang in the country of Laos," by Watteau(engraved c. 1719). Demolished at the Revolution.
*The original paintings of "A Harlot's Progress" (1731) by William Hogarth were destroyed in a fire at Fonthill Abbey in 1755, but the engravings (1732) survive.
*Fresco of "The Translation of the Holy House of Loreto" by Gianbattista Tiepolo in the Church of the Scalzi, Venice. Destroyed by enemy action (Austrian shell), 1915.
*Ceiling frescoes of "The Triumph of the Arts and Sciences," "Apollo and Phaethon," "Perseus and Andromeda," and "Juno with Fortuna and Venus" by Tiepolo in the Palazzo Archinto, Milan. Destroyed by bombardment in World War II.
*Gainsborough's whole-length of "David Garrick leaning on a bust of Shakespeare", painted for the Stratford Shakespeare Jubilee (1766) was destroyed in a fire at Stratford-upon-Avon Town Hall in 1946.
*"The Woodman and his Dog in a Storm" (1787) by Gainsborough. Destroyed by fire in 1810. A 1791 mezzotint by Pierre Simon exists.
*"The Destruction of Niobe's Children" by Richard Wilson. Formerly National Gallery, London. Destroyed by enemy action in World War II, 1944.
* Bust of the composer Gluck in marble by Jean-Antoine Houdon. Destroyed by fire at the Paris Opera, 1784. Terra cotta versions exist.
*The "Eidophusikon" (1781) by Philip James de Loutherbourg.
*"Le Pelletier on his Death Bed" (1793) by Jacques-Louis David.

19th Century

*"Don Antonio de Porcel" (1806) by Goya. Destroyed in a fire in the Jockey Club, Buenos Aires, 1956.
*"George Washington Seated, in Roman dress," marble sculpture by Canova, destroyed by fire in the North Carolina State House, Raleigh, 1831. The artist's plaster model survives.
*"Winter" (1807-08) by Caspar David Friedrich. Destroyed in the Munich Glass Palace fire, 1931.
*"Monastery Graveyard in the Snow" (1817-18) by Caspar David Friedrich. Destroyed in World War II air raids in Germany.
*"The Mouth of the Thames" (1807) by Joseph Mallord William Turner. Destroyed by enemy action in World War II.
*"Fish Market on the Sands" (1830) by Turner. Formerly owned by Billy Rose. Destroyed by fire, 1956.
*"Aeneas Relating his Story to Dido" (1850) by Turner.
*"Mississippi River Panorama" (1840-46) by John Banvard. Promoted as a 'three-mile canvas', though it was only approximately half a mile (800 m) long. Banvard gave the panorama many showings, including one to Queen Victoria. It is thought to have been cut up into pieces towards the end of the 19th century.
*"Washington Crossing the Delaware" (1849-50) (first version) by Emanuel Leutze. Destroyed in an air raid on Bremen, 1942.
*"Apotheosis of Napoleon I" by Ingres. Ceiling painting for the Hotel de Ville, Paris. Destroyed by fire in the Paris Commune, 1871.
*"The Storming of the Bastille" (1830) by Paul Delaroche. Painted for the Hotel de Ville, Paris. Destroyed by fire in the Paris Commune, 1871.
*"Justinian Drafting his Laws" (1826) by Eugene Delacroix. Painted for the Council of State, Paris. Destroyed by fire in the Paris Commune, 1871.
*"Peace Consoles Mankind and Brings Abundance" (1852-54) by Delacroix. Painted for the Hall of Peace at the Hotel de Ville, Paris. Destroyed by fire in the Paris Commune, 1871.
*"The Stone-breakers," by Courbet, destroyed in transit from the Dresden Gallery in World War II.
*"The Return from the Conference" (1863) by Courbet. Destroyed 1909 by its owner due to its anticlerical content.
*"Venus and Psyche" (1864) by Courbet. Destroyed by enemy air action, Berlin, 1945.
*"Still Life: Vase with Five Sunflowers" (1888) by Van Gogh. Formerly in the collection of Koyata Yamamoto, Japan. Destroyed by American air raids on Ashiya District, August 5-6, 1945.
*"The Painter on his Way to Work" by Van Gogh. Formerly in the Kaiser-Friedrich Museum, Berlin. Destroyed by fire in World War II.
*"The Park at Arles with the Entrance Seen Through the Trees" (1888) by Van Gogh. Destroyed by fire in World War II.
*"The Lovers: The Poet's Garden IV" (1888) by Van Gogh. Declared degenerate and confiscated by the Nazis in 1937. Whereabouts unknown.
*"Hen with Sapphire Pendant" (1886), a Fabergé egg.
*"Cherub with Chariot" (1888), a Fabergé egg.
*"Necessaire" (1889), a Fabergé egg.
*"Alexander III Portraits" (1896), a Fabergé egg.
*"Mauve" (1898), a Fabergé egg.

20th century

*"Empire Nephrite" (1902), a Fabergé egg.
*"Royal Danish" (1903), a Fabergé egg.
*"Alexander III Commemorative" (1909), a Fabergé egg.
*"Musik II" (1898) by Gustav Klimt. Destroyed by fire in 1945 at Schloss Immendorf, Austria.
*"Schubert at the Piano" (1899) by Klimt. Destroyed by fire in 1945 at Schloss Immendorf, Austria.
*"Golden Apple Tree" (1903) by Klimt. Destroyed by fire in 1945 at Schloss Immendorf, Austria.
*"Procession of the Dead" (1903) by Klimt. Destroyed by fire in 1945 at Schloss Immendorf, Austria.
*"Medicine," "Philosophy," and "Jurisprudence" (1899-1907) by Klimt. Destroyed by fire in 1945 at Schloss Immendorf, Austria.
*"Garden Path with Chickens" (1916) by Klimt. Destroyed by fire in 1945 at Schloss Immendorf, Austria.
*"Portrait of Wally" (1916) by Klimt. Destroyed by fire in 1945 at Schloss Immendorf, Austria.
* "The Friends" (c. 1916-17), a double portrait by Klimt. Destroyed by fire in 1945 at Schloss Immendorf, Austria.
* "Leda" (1917) by Klimt. Destroyed by fire in 1945 at Schloss Immendorf, Austria.
*Diego Rivera's mural "Man at the Crossroads" (1933) was destroyed and removed in 1934 because its content (including a portrait of Lenin) offended Nelson Rockefeller, who had commissioned the work. Rivera later recreated the work as "Man, Controller of the Universe" in the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City.
*Graham Sutherland's portrait of Winston Churchill (1954) was deliberately destroyed by Lady Churchill because she did not like it.
*Some 20 works were created on camera and then deliberately destroyed by Pablo Picasso for the documentary "Le Mystère Picasso" ("The Mystery of Picasso", 1956) [http://imdb.com/title/tt0049531/] .
*On January 30, 1979, a Varig 707 freighter, registration PP-VLU, disappeared over the Pacific Ocean thirty minutes after departing Tokyo, Japan. The captain had previously been involved in another major accident, that of Varig Flight 820 in 1973. No wreckage or remains were ever located. The aircraft was carrying 153 paintings by the Japanese Brazilian artist Manabu Mabe, worth approximately $1.24 million US.
*"Study after Velazquez III" (1950), Francis Bacon [http://www.francis-bacon.cx/popes/velazqueziii_50.html] . Third in a series of portraits after Velázquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X, 1650. All three were thought destroyed by the artist until the first two surfaced 1999.
* "Untitled Wall Relief", by Craig Kauffman (1967), an acrylic lacquer on Plexiglas piece, fell off the wall and shattered on July 16, 2006 at the Pompidou Center of Paris [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1248/is_10_94/ai_n17113308]
* Untitled piece by Peter Alexander (1971), an 8 ft. x 5 in. molded polyester resin work, fell and shattered in April 2006 at the Pompidou Center of Paris [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1248/is_10_94/ai_n17113308]
*Anish Kapoor's wood and cement sculpture "Hole and Vessel" (1984) was discovered missing from its storage unit in 2004.
*Richard Serra's 38-ton metal sculpture "Equal-Parallel/Guernica-Bengasi" (1986), formerly displayed at the Reina Sofia museum, was unable to be located in 2006 [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/07/11/wsculp11.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/07/11/ixnews.html]
*The "Goddess of Democracy" (1989) by students of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, was destroyed by The People's Liberation Army during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.
*Rachel Whiteread's enormous sculpture "House" (1993) was destroyed by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets council on January 11, 1994.
*Pablo Picasso's painting "The Painter" was lost aboard Swissair Flight 111 when it crashed into the waters off Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on September 2, 1998. [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1998/09/14/world/main17411.shtml]
*Richard Serra's "Tilted Arc" (1981) was dismantled and removed in 1989.

Works destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks

Many works of art were destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks when the World Trade Center buildings collapsed.
*"Ideogram" (1967) stainless steel sculpture by James Rosati
*"Cloud Fortress" (1975) a large, black granite piece by Japanese artist Masayuki Nagare, destroyed in the 9/11 rescue and recovery efforts.
*"The World Trade Center Tapestry" a 20' x 35' tapestry by Joan Miró
*"Sky Gate, New York" (1977-78) by Louise Nevelson
*A memorial fountain for the victims of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing by Elyn Zimmerman
*"World Trade Center Stabile" (1971) a 25' red steel sculpture by Alexander Calder. Approximately 30% of the sculpture was recovered.
*Some 300 sculptures and drawings by Auguste Rodin, part of the Cantor Fitzgerald collection.
*"Needle Tower" (1968) by Kenneth Snelson.
*"Recollection Pond", a tapestry by Romare Bearden.
*"Path Mural", by Germaine Keller.
*"Commuter Landscape", a large mural by Cynthia Mailman.
*"Fan Dancing with the Birds", a mural by Hunt Slonem.
*"The Entablature Series" by Roy Lichtenstein
* Approximately 40,000 negatives of photographs by Jacques Lowe documenting the presidency of John F. Kennedy.
* "The Sphere", an abstract sculpture by Fritz Koenig, survived the collapse but was seriously damaged, and now serves as a memorial.

Works destroyed in the Momart fire

Many works by Britartists in the Saatchi collection, as well as work by other artists in different collections, were destroyed in the Momart warehouse fire in Leyton, East London, on May 24, 2004.
*"Vertical Light" by Patrick Heron (1957), and some 50 other paintings
*"Altair" by Gillian Ayres (1989), and 17 other paintings
*Craigie Horsfield's black and white photograph of Barcelona, Carrer Muntaner (1996)
*"Hell" by Jake and Dinos Chapman, (1998 to 2000)
*"The Last Thing I Said To You Is Don't Leave Me Here" ("The Hut") by Tracey Emin (1999)
*"Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963–1995" ("The Tent") by Tracey Emin
*"Mood Change One" by Michael Craig-Martin
*"The Event" by William Redgrave, a bronze triptych; about a third was salvaged by his son, Chris Redgrave.
*"Down Below", a sculpture by Sarah Lucas
*"Hedone's", a painting by Patrick Caulfield
*"Floater", by Gavin Turk
*Sixteen paintings by Damien Hirst
*"Cyclops Cameo" (1995), "Opal" (1996), and eight other works by Helen Chadwick
*Nine works by Barry Flanagan
*"Clown", a gloss painting on wood and other works by Gary Hume
*"Afrobluff", and other works by Chris Ofili
*Works by Paula Rego
*Forty works by Adrian Heath

ee also

*Lost work
*Lost film
*Nazi plunder
*Rescuing Da Vinci

References/external links

*"Lost Treasures of Europe:427 Photographs" Henry Adams LaFarge (ed.), Pantheon (1946).
*"The Lost Museum. Glimpses of Vanished Originals" Robert Adams, Viking Press (1980). ISBN 0-670-44107-4
*"Missing Masterpieces - Lost Works of Art, 1450-1900" Dr. Gert-Rudolf Flick, Merrell (January 2003). ISBN 1-85894-197-0
* The eloquent and thorough post-war report, "Works of Art in Italy. Losses and Survivals in the War," compiled by the British Committee on the Preservation and Restitution of Works of Art, London 1946, is an indispensable guide to the damage inflicted by wartime action throughout Italy between 1943 and 1945. It is posted online and also references other wartime articles on damage to works of art in Italy.
*http://www.leonardoshorse.org/
* [http://www.ifar.org/911_citi1.htm "The Art Lost by Citigroup on 9/11" by Suzanne F. W. Lemakis]
* [http://www.ifar.org/911_public1.htm Public Art at the World Trade Center]
* [http://www.esu9.org/~swegenas/midart/Lostart.htm Lost Art in the Towers]
* [http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/0211/911-treasures.html 9/11 Attacks Destroy Cultural and Historical Artifacts]
*http://worldtradecenterart.blogspot.com/
* [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/britartfire/0,,1226860,00.html The Britart fire]