pa.press.net, Updated: 20/05/2010 14:39
£430m of paintings stolen in Paris
AP
Police officers stand at the entrance of the Paris Museum of Modern Art (AP)
A lone thief has stolen five paintings worth a total of £430 million in an overnight raid on a Paris art museum.
The paintings, by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, George Braque, Amedeo Modigliani and Fernand Leger were taken from the Paris Museum of Modern Art, across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower
Police have cordoned off the museum in one of the city's most popular tourist areas.
A single masked intruder was caught on a video surveillance camera entering the museum by a window and taking the paintings away, the Paris prosecutors said.
The paintings were Le Pigeon Aux Petits-Pois (The Pigeon With The Peas) by Picasso, Pastoral by Matisse, Olive Tree Near Estaque by Braque, Woman With A Fan by Modigliani and Still Life With Chandeliers by Leger.
Red-and-white tape surrounded the museum, where investigators were studying surveillance video. Signs on the doors said it was closed for technical reasons.
On a cordoned-off balcony behind the museum, police examined the broken window and empty painting frames. The paintings appeared to have been carefully removed from their frames, not sliced out.
A security guard at the museum said the paintings were discovered missing by a night watchman just before 7am.
Museum officials and police would not comment on reports that the alarm system had malfunctioned or been disabled.
Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe said he was "saddened and shocked by this theft, which is an intolerable attack on Paris's universal cultural heritage."
Mymoney is on Sean Connery. ;)
I am sure the Gallery directors face was a picture when he was told of the news.
Quote from: Minder on May 20, 2010, 03:11:07 PM
I am sure the Gallery directors face was a picture when he was told of the news.
Was he being framed?
I hear he left a couple of prints behind.
i hope he didn't make an exhibition of himself!!
With 430 million worth of paintings to get rid of on the black market, I am sure he will be easely captured.
(http://www.writedesignonline.com/history-culture/Matisse-pastoral.gif)
Who wants a crowd of nudey women on your wall anyway.
The security guard was asleep on the job, he is fond of his booze, a bit of a piss artist by all accounts.
Quote from: Puckoon on May 20, 2010, 03:21:21 PM
I hear he left a couple of prints behind.
I'm sure the police will be brushing for them
The robbers shouldn't Dali as there is a lot of Monet at stake here.
I wouldn't be surprised if someone Turner's them in to the nearest Constable.
Quote from: take_yer_points on May 20, 2010, 04:08:45 PM
Quote from: Puckoon on May 20, 2010, 03:21:21 PM
I hear he left a couple of prints behind.
I'm sure the police will be brushing for them
If they find one it will be a stroke of good fortune.
When he had the Picasso,the Matisse, the Braque, and the Modigliani the thief decided that it time to Leger out of there.
Quote from: Doogie Browser on May 20, 2010, 03:38:25 PM
The security guard was asleep on the job, he is fond of his booze, a bit of a piss artist by all accounts.
The secuity guard, yer man steals 430 millions worth of art from some of the greats and they have One security guard on?
Has to be an inside job, somebody was helping this guy.
They will get him, this is too high profile a case for them to lose such paintings.
Quote from: stew on May 20, 2010, 08:15:32 PM
Quote from: Doogie Browser on May 20, 2010, 03:38:25 PM
The security guard was asleep on the job, he is fond of his booze, a bit of a piss artist by all accounts.
The secuity guard, yer man steals 430 millions worth of art from some of the greats and they have One security guard on?
Has to be an inside job, somebody was helping this guy.
They will get him, this is too high profile a case for them to lose such paintings.
dear jaysus stew, dear jaysus...... You sure you haven't been smoking a bit of weed or something?
Quote from: Tony Baloney on May 20, 2010, 05:12:44 PM
The robbers shouldn't Dali as there is a lot of Monet at stake here.
I wouldn't be surprised if someone Turner's them in to the nearest Constable.
the winner
Cost of a balaclava : £3
Cost of a crow bar : £10
Cost of the Picasso, Matisse sand Modigliani paintings from the Museum of Modern Art in Paris : £500,000,000
No being able to sell them on the black market : Priceless
Quote from: hardstation on May 20, 2010, 09:09:16 PM
Fair fcuks. Paintings shouldn't be worth that much money anyway.
Because they have historic importance, they portray a period of human thinking, they portray a part of the artist soul, and they have a different meaning for every buyer & a lot of people buy paintings hoping they acquire value in the future
Quote from: gerry on May 20, 2010, 09:19:36 PM
Cost of a balaclava : £3
Cost of a crow bar : £10
Cost of the Picasso, Matisse sand Modigliani paintings from the Museum of Modern Art in Paris : £500,000,000
No being able to sell them on the black market : Priceless
maybe he had his buyer in advance?
Geoffrey Archer was talking about this earlier on Radio 5 and he was suggesting it was either an inside job or the poorest security in the world. Archer was saying that according to his intel the guy climbed up a ladder. Spent considerable time choosing which paintings he wanted then more time carefully removing them from their frames.He suggested this took a couple of hours. He also suggested these type of thefts are usually conducted by rich collectors ala Thomas Crown
Quote from: hardstation on May 20, 2010, 09:27:49 PM
Quote from: ross4life on May 20, 2010, 09:24:17 PM
Quote from: hardstation on May 20, 2010, 09:09:16 PM
Fair fcuks. Paintings shouldn't be worth that much money anyway.
Because they have historic importance, they portray a period of human thinking, they portray a part of the artist soul, and they have a different meaning for every buyer & a lot of people buy paintings hoping they acquire value in the future
So does the aul can of Harp I found in Milltown.
Same can be said about.... why was Monroe's gown worth so much (150,000) or why was The oldest existing version of the FA Cup sold for 420,000?
Paintings are no different than these examples
Quote from: Bogball XV on May 20, 2010, 09:25:31 PM
Quote from: gerry on May 20, 2010, 09:19:36 PM
Cost of a balaclava : £3
Cost of a crow bar : £10
Cost of the Picasso, Matisse sand Modigliani paintings from the Museum of Modern Art in Paris : £500,000,000
No being able to sell them on the black market : Priceless
maybe he had his buyer in advance?
Like high value cars stolen in creeper burglaries up and down Ireland, these are almost certainly stolen to order.
It stinks of an inside job but it's just so obvious that you wonder how they thought they'd get away with it. These places must be inspected all the time by the insurers to ensure they have a belt and braces approach to security. Climbing a ladder, breaking a window and helping yourself is just too simple.
They have obviously not been stolen for resale, that would not be possible. Some rich businessman either legitimate or illegitimate has decided he would like these paintings for himself. They probably paid a criminal associate or gang a large fee to carry it out. The paintings are now on their way to the basement of a large mansion in Russia, USA, Sicily, China or a South American rain forest. If not then they are more trouble than they are worth and will move around variius hiding places and turn up in the back of a white van in a couple of years.
Would that be the same white van that was used in theUlster bank robbery? ;D
Quote from: JUst retired on May 21, 2010, 07:50:10 AM
Would that be the same white van that was used in theUlster bank robbery? ;D
Now that you mention it, I saw smoke coming from a back garden in Passage West this morning and bits of burning canvas floating in the air.
QuoteNow that you mention it, I saw smoke coming from a back garden in Passage West this morning and bits of burning canvas floating in the air.
Probably the anti-incinerator folk. ::)
Quote from: Bogball XV on May 20, 2010, 08:59:47 PM
Quote from: stew on May 20, 2010, 08:15:32 PM
Quote from: Doogie Browser on May 20, 2010, 03:38:25 PM
The security guard was asleep on the job, he is fond of his booze, a bit of a piss artist by all accounts.
The secuity guard, yer man steals 430 millions worth of art from some of the greats and they have One security guard on?
Has to be an inside job, somebody was helping this guy.
They will get him, this is too high profile a case for them to lose such paintings.
dear jaysus stew, dear jaysus...... You sure you haven't been smoking a bit of weed or something?Quote from: Tony Baloney on May 20, 2010, 05:12:44 PM
The robbers shouldn't Dali as there is a lot of Monet at stake here.
I wouldn't be surprised if someone Turner's them in to the nearest Constable.
the winner
Never did never will bogball, what did i say that was so off?
It'll be interesting to know the type of intrusion detection systems that were being used in the museum. Everything from Passive Infrared to Ultrasonic and microwave sensors, breakglass sensors, proximity sensors and pressure sensors should have/must have been deployed. For the thief to seemingly just saunter in, choose his products, scratch his arse, have a fag then leave just, to me, reeks of collaboration, or perhaps a dodgy IDS installer having scoped the place for yonks then made his move.
Regarding the sale of such artwork, it has clearly either been stolen to order or the thief has done such a job before and will contact willing buyers.