Picasso And Matisse few hundred million$ master peices dumped and destroyed

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/8357840/137m-stolen-masterpieces-crushed-by-dump-truck

Stolen masterpieces 'crushed by dump truck'
11:30 AEST Mon Oct 10 2011
By ninemsn staff


Masterpieces stolen from a French museum and worth 100 million euro (A$137 million) were crushed by a rubbish truck after the thief's accomplice panicked and threw them away, he claims.

The Paris art world was aghast when a lone hooded thief loped off with five landmark works after breaking into the Musée d'Art Moderne in May last year.

The burglar, known only as Vrejan T, told detectives he climbed into the museum after removing a window frame and cutting a padlock on an iron grille.

The 43-year-old Serb claims he was there to steal Fernand Leger's Still Life with Candlestick (1922) for a local antiques dealer.

But when the museum alarm failed to sound, the Serb decided to stay longer, wandering around for a whole hour as he eluded 30 CCTV cameras and three on-duty security guards to cherry pick four other pieces — Dove with Green Peas by Pablo Picasso (1911), Pastoral by Henri Matisse (1906), Olive Tree near l'Estaque by Georges Braque (1906) and Woman with Fan by Amedeo Modigliani (1919).

He cut each canvas from its frame and rolled them up under his arm.

The Art Loss Registry in London said the robbery was "one of the biggest art heists ever, considering the estimated value, the prominence of the artists and the high profile of the museum", Britain's Telegraph newspaper reports.

The antiques dealer, known as Jean-Michel C, 56, was arrested in May this year for selling other stolen art works but denies he was in league with Vrejan T, claiming the Serb dumped the artworks at his boutique store without his consent.

However, the dealer did pass the works onto a watchmaker and recognised art expert, known as Jonathan B, 34, who reportedly found potential Israeli buyers.

When both the art dealer and burglar were arrested in May, Jonathan B told detectives he "panicked and destroyed the canvasses before throwing into a rubbish bin", French weekly newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche reports.

Police are skeptical of this account but cannot rule it out, they say.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/10/stolen-picasso-and-matiss_n_1003807.html

Stolen Picasso And Matisse Works Possibly 'Crushed In A Rubbish Truck'

First Posted: 10/10/11 03:43 PM ET Updated: 10/10/11 03:45 PM ET

Art Heist , Modern Art , Paris Museum Of Modern Art , Art Scandal , Art Theft , Braque , Destroyed Art , Garbage Art , Georges Braque , Heist , Leger , Matisse , Modigliani , Picasso , Uk Arts , Arts News
share this story
Leger
Get Arts Alerts
Sign Up
Submit this story

It was the perfect heist: sleeping museum guards, a broken alarm system, $140 million in loot, a police hunt that lasted over a year... there was just one problem. The paintings, including a Picasso and Matisse, ended up in the trash; according to The Guardian, while the investigation was underway, one of the suspects "panicked and destroyed the canvasses before throwing them into a rubbish bin."

Early in the morning of May 20, 2010, a lone, masked burglar entered the Paris Museum of Modern Art by removing the screws of a window, originally intending to steal Fernand Leger's 'Still Life With Candlestick.' However upon cutting the painting from its frame, he discovered the alarm was broken; it was later discovered that the alarm had been broken for over a month prior to the theft. He then proceeded to walk around the museum for over an hour, picking up four more paintings on the way and getting away in a nearby parked car. There were security cameras but no guards noticed the masked visitor.

The stolen paintings were Pablo Picasso’s 'Dove with Green Peas' (1911), 'Pastoral' by Henri Matisse (1906), 'Olive Tree near l’Estaque' by Georges Braque (1906), 'Woman with Fan' by Amedeo Modigliani (1919) and 'Still Life with Candlestick' by Fernand Leger (1922). The total value of these paintings is unknown, estimated around $140 million with some experts claiming them worth double. The Picasso alone is worth $40 million.

The officers of the French Serious Crime Brigade arrested three men after a year-long search, one as the thief and two as accomplices. The three suspects are 34-year old watch repairman "Jonathan B.", 43-year old "Vrejan T."—nicknamed 'Spiderman'—and 56-year old antique shop owner named Jean-Michel C., accused of commissioning the crime. 'Spiderman' reportedly stole the works on Jean-Michel's orders and left them at his antique shop. According to Fox News, Jean-Michel "denied this and claimed Vrejan T left the works at his antiques store without his consent. Jean-Michel C then reportedly passed them on to Jonathan B."

"Spiderman" and Jean-Michel were under police suspicion for other crimes, passed the word on to Jonathan B., who confessed to panicking, ruining the works and tossing them into the trash. Jonathan B. claimed the works were wrecked beyond recognition.

Police have not given up hope of finding the works intact. The Art Loss Registry in London dubbed the cinematic heist "one of the biggest art heists ever, considering the estimated value, the prominence of the artists and the high profile of the museum."

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment...-160m-thrown-into-the-bin-20111011-1lhyw.html

Stolen art worth $160m 'thrown into the bin'
Henry Samuel in Paris
October 11, 2011
Pastoral by Henri Matisse

Pastoral by Henri Matisse

Five paintings, including works by Matisse, Picasso and Modigliani, worth almost £100 million ($160 million) ended up being thrown in a bin, a suspect has said.

The works of art were stolen last year when a hooded burglar climbed into Paris's Musee d'Art Moderne.

Thanks to a faulty alarm system he made off with Dove with Green Peas by Pablo Picasso, Pastoral by Henri Matisse, Olive Tree Near l'Estaque by Georges Braque, Woman With Fan by Amedeo Modigliani and Still Life with Candlestick by Fernand Leger (1922).
Advertisement: Story continues below
Dove with Green Peas by Pablo Picasso

Dove with Green Peas by Pablo Picasso

It took officers from France's Serious Crime Brigade more than a year before placing three men - the alleged thief and two accomplices - under investigation.

According to police sources, one of the alleged accomplices, a 34-year-old watch repairer known only as Jonathan B, told detectives that when the other two men were arrested in May, he "panicked and destroyed the canvasses before throwing them into a rubbish bin".

The first to be arrested was a Serb known only as Vrejan T, 43, who was detained days after a separate art theft from a Paris apartment.

Under questioning, the suspect reportedly said he loosened screws in a window at the museum, returned a few nights later and sliced through a padlock on an iron grille. He had initially gone there only to steal a Leger work to order, he said, but once inside, was "surprised" when the alarm failed to sound. He told police he then wandered around for another hour, eluding 30 closed circuit cameras to cherry pick four other masterpieces.

"He found the Modigliani the most beautiful of all," a judicial source said.

The Daily Telegraph, London