Brazilian
Police Find Stolen Picasso, Portinari Paintings
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RIA
Novosti Photo
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RIO DE JANEIRO
(RIA Novosti) — Police in Brazil have recovered two paintings
by Pablo Picasso and Candido Portinari worth an estimated
$56 million which were stolen last month from the Sao Paulo
Museum of Art, local officials said.
The ‘Portrait
of Suzanne Bloch’ by Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, worth around
$50 million, and ‘The Coffee Worker’ by Brazilian artist Candido
Portinari, estimated at $6 million, are "in absolutely
perfect condition" and will go on display on Friday, the
museum said.
Police arrested
two suspects and recovered the stolen paintings on the outskirts
of Sao Paulo Tuesday, a police spokesman said.
Officials
said the theft was carried out by professionals. The thieves
broke into the museum when the guards were changing shifts
December 20. Security cameras showed three men removing the
paintings from separate rooms with a crowbar and a car jack
in less than three minutes.
The museum
had no alarm system installed and the paintings were not insured.
After the theft the museum received $1.7 million to improve
security.
The art thieves
are believed to have attempted to steal the paintings in late
October but were unsuccessful and ended up running away empty
handed.