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Lost artworks are original pieces of art that credible sources indicate once existed but that cannot be accounted for in museums or private collections or are known to have been destroyed deliberately or accidentally, or neglected through ignorance and lack of connoisseurship.
The US FBI maintains a list of "Top Ten Art Crimes"; a 2006 book by Simon Houpt and several other media outlets have profiled the most significant outstanding losses.
Research and recovery efforts
The Art Loss Register is a computerized international database which captures information about lost and stolen art, antiques and collectables. It is operated by a commercial company based in London.
In the U.S., the FBI maintains the Stolen Art File, "a database of stolen art and cultural property. Stolen objects are submitted for entry to the NSAF by law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad."
A number of search and recovery efforts were created in response to major loss events, notably: