Turns out, if you're going to pull off a multi-million-dollar art heist, perhaps don't stick around in the same city. Italian police just recovered three masterpieces, collectively valued at over $10 million, that vanished from the Fondazione Magnani Rocca museum near Parma a few months ago. Because apparently, even art thieves appreciate the local amenities.
The haul includes works by none other than Paul Cézanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Henri Matisse. Which, if you're going to steal, that's a pretty solid lineup. Nine Moldovan individuals are currently under investigation, with five suspected of actually doing the dirty work.
The Three-Minute Grab
The entire caper, from window entry to painting exit, took less than three minutes back in late March. An alarm did go off, but by then, the art was already making a hasty exit. Police even released video footage showing two masked figures slipping through a window, plucking the paintings off the wall, and passing them to an accomplice waiting outside. Efficient, if a little brazen.
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Start Your News DetoxThe cultural heritage unit of Italy's Carabinieri police announced the recovery, finding the century-old canvases stashed in a Parma apartment. So, a quick turnaround for these pieces, which thankfully didn't end up on some eccentric billionaire's private yacht in the Caribbean.
Meanwhile, in an entirely separate but equally art-focused recovery, Brazilian authorities also announced they'd found some stolen Henri Matisse works, valued at a more modest $200,000. These were returned to a library they were swiped from last December, after being found at a property in Sao Bernardo do Campo. Because apparently, even libraries aren't safe from the sticky fingers of the art world. Let's hear it for the police who keep bringing the good stuff home.
