Paris Art Theft
- May 21st, 2010
- Posted by EUEditor
Police continue work at the Paris Museum of Modern Art (Thursday 20.5.10 in Paris)Â while attempts are made to assess the full cost of the five close-to-invaluable paintings stolen overnight.
The paintings are: Picasso’s Le Pigeon aux Petits Pois (The Polka Dot Pigeon), Matisse’s La Pastorale (Pastoral), Braque’s L’Olivier Près de l’Estaque (Olive Tree near Estaque), Modigliani’s La Femme a l’Eventail (Woman with a Fan), and Leger’s Nature Morte aux Chandeliers (Still Life with Chandeliers).
Britain’s Guardian newspaper has a gallery on line, showing the images; see Guardian.co.uk, http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2010/may/20/art-theft-france?lightbox=1, (21.5.10)
The hard-to-believe robbery was recorded on closed circuit television, a masked thief entering through a window; the alarm system off awaiting repairs; leaving behind the frames, the broken window, a cut padlock on a gate at the entrance, and three security guards who “saw nothingâ€.
Estimates of the money value of the stolen paintings have varied, from different sources, ranging through €98.5-400-million (A$150-616.3-million; dcerates.com, 21.5.10) – even running up to €500-million.
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The gallery is the Paris municipal Museum of Modern Art, located in the 16th arrondissement across the Seine River from the Eiffel Tower.
Reference
The Guardian, Manchester, “Art Theft in Parisâ€, 20.5.10. http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2010/may/20/art-theft-france, (20.5.10);
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2010/may/20/art-theft-france?lightbox=1, (20.5.10).
Mairie de Paris, Paris, City Museum of Modern Art (Musee d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris)‎, 11 Avenue du Président Wilson, 75116 Paris, France. http://www.paris.fr/portail/Culture/Portal.lut?page_id=6450, (21.5.10).
Pictures
Gallery of Modern Art; Modigliani