Javier is a journalist and cultural manager with a passion for art and its history. In his free time he loves reading and researching the lives of artists and their works. He loves everything related to the Middle Ages, the Italian Renaissance and the mysteries behind lost works of art.
Masterpiece Story: Le Quai Malaquais et l’Institut by Camille Pissarro
An Impressionist masterpiece—looted by the Nazis, hidden for decades in a vault in a Swiss bank, subject of a controversial restitution, and linked...
Javier Abel Miguel 19 April 2026
Goya, James Bond, and a Retired Bus Driver—How They Stole The Duke of Wellington
When British agent James Bond, played at the time by a young Sean Connery, enters Dr. No’s secret base, he stops in front of a painting resting...
Javier Abel Miguel 16 April 2026
Masterpiece Story: Sistine Madonna by Raphael
We’ve seen them on postcards, gift wrap, T-shirts, coffee mugs, and even tattoos. With their serene expressions and relaxed posture, Raphael’s...
Javier Abel Miguel 6 April 2026
Bruno Lohse—Art Dealer of the Third Reich
In 2007, the Zurich prosecutor’s office opened vault number 5 of the Zürcher Kantonalbank. But something felt off; the vault was huge, more like a...
Javier Abel Miguel 23 February 2026
The Theft of Michelangelo: The Story of His Stolen Body
The complex of the Santi Apostoli basilica in Rome, located just steps away from the bustling Piazza Venezia, is a place steeped in history. If you...
Javier Abel Miguel 18 February 2026
Plunder and Survival: Suzanne Loebl’s Account of Nazi Art Looting
Written by Holocaust survivor Suzanne Loebl with Abigail Wilentz, Plunder and Survival (Bloomsbury, 2025) traces the Nazi looting of art across...
Javier Abel Miguel 16 February 2026
Leonardo da Vinci—A Renaissance Comedian
Leonardo da Vinci, prototype of the Renaissance man, is renowned for masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and the Vitruvian...
Javier Abel Miguel 16 February 2026
The Schloss Collection: A Story of War, Looting, and Restitution
Among the many artistic depredations that devastated France under Nazi rule, the looting of the Schloss collection came to be seen as a defining...
Javier Abel Miguel 4 February 2026
