Monday, September 29, 2008

Stolen Renoir Painting Has Been Recovered

Sorry for last week's lack of posts. I've been sick. I still haven't completely recovered, but I think another day of rest will do the trick. I'm feeling much better.

You may remember the series I posted about art theft. Today, I'm pleased to share with you a case that has been solved.

In 1975, a Pierre-Auguste Renoir painting was stolen from an art restorer's lab in Milan, Italy. The private owners of the painting had sent it to the restorer to have some repairs done. The painting is not one of Renoir's most valuable but would still sell for about $735,000 today.

During the summer, the people who had the painting contacted an art critic. They wanted to know what the painting was worth. They probably thought they had waited long enough (33 years) that no one would remember that the painting had been stolen, but the art critic called the Italian police. When the theives took the painting from a back vault in Italy, the police were waiting.

After 33 years, the owners will get their painting back!

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1 comment:

PeterParis said...

That's the good thing about (famous) art thefts. Mostly, the pieces come back as it's impossible to own them officially. But 33 years is a lot!!