Pierneef thief Brett Urbasch gets 8 years

On 28th March the self confessed art thief and forger, Brett Urbasch was sentenced to eight years imprisonment in the Newlands Magistrates Court in Johannesburg. Urbasch 43, a Mellville barman, stole a Pierneef in May last year from the 25th floor of the SABC, where he cut part of it from its frame, secreted it out in a bag and then later cut the section into pieces. The painting was remarkable for its size (2.75 x 1.8m) and was worth R3m. The police made no progress with arrests and the SABC commissioned a private company Abasebenzi Assessors and Investigators under the guidance of Clarence Badenhorst to make a breakthrough. A highly professional and experienced detective agency, with previous experience tracking stolen artwork, Abasebenzi soon caught up with Brett Urbasch and his partner in crime Otto Osmers.
Urbasch admitted cutting a half of the painting from its frame and then trying to sell two cut out pieces – one 70 x 50 cm and another 55 x 45 cm – to a dealer in Durban who contacted a Pierneef expert and then refused to buy the pieces.
From here on the history of the rest of the painting becomes murky as Urbasch claims to have burnt it as he wanted to destroy all evidence of its existence in his panic. Whether he actually did this is doubtful.In the meantime, Clarence has requested the re-arrest of Otto as he feels that he is involved in other art scams. Says Clarence: “I have a big case on now looking for Maggie Laubschers, Irma Sterns and several other national art treasures, all missing from a single very important collection”.
Clarence’s personal opinion of Urbasch is that he is a spoilt brat a bit too clever for his own good, and a problem from boyhood. “He comes from a reputable Natal professional family of English origin, despite the German sounding name. His brother is a psychiatrist and he told me that Brett was
stealing stuff from the family in their own home early on.”

“He is skilled at forgeries and has taken in quite a few reputable well known gallery owners in Johannesburg – some have been taken for thousands by him. He uses art students to do the alterations so that what he offers the dealers doesn’t look like the original work, but resembles a new and exciting “discovery”.
Anyone who wants to report missing and stolen artwork is invited to contact Clarence on his cell 083 4586050. He is based in Johannesburg but will take on any case anywhere in the country. He and his company have made a speciality of stolen art investigations and feel strongly that the ongoing plunder of museums, galleries and private collections should be halted in the interest of our national cultural heritage.