Stolen Picasso Paintings Found in Serbia
Two Picasso paintings that were stolen from an art gallery in Pfaeffikon Switzerland back in 2008 have been found in Serbia. The paintings disappeared whilst on loan from Germany to the Hannover’s Sprengel Museum over three and a half years ago and were never seen again.
Charles Faessler, a prosecutor involved in the case, quoted to a Swiss broadcaster; “I can tell you with pride and joy that after three and a half years of intense investigative work, we have now located both the stolen Picasso paintings,”.
The two paintings “Tte de Cheval” (The Horses Head, 1962) and “Verre et Pichet” (The Glass and Pitcher, 1944) had been tracked down by Swiss police with the help of Serbia officials. The pictures are very famous in the art world and between them they are worth on estimate over £2.6 million.
But just who was behind the heist still remains a mystery. Officals have quoted that no arrest has yet been made for the theft, and they are also yet to specify where the paintings were found. It also appears that many of the details have also managed to escape the detection of both police forces, who apparently found the paintings within Serbia’s counter organised crime unit in Belgrade.
Ivica Dacic, Serbia’s interior minister, said the country’s counter organised crime unit had recovered the works of art in Belgrade following an investigation involving the Swiss police. He added that the Swiss authorities had made a formal application for the paintings to be returned to the Alpine state.
Serbian police director Milorad Veljovic quoted, “We are now trying to ascertain who brought the paintings into Serbia, when and how, and where they were hidden.”
The thieves’ motives for this famous crime are still unknown, as these particular Picasso pieces are very well known to the world of art and to the general public. Also with the publicity that this crime generated back in 2008 if would have been very hard if not impossible for the thieves to have sold the artwork on to the general open market, which has led police officials to believe that they could have been working for a private collector, or that they may have tried to cut a deal with the insurance company that the Picasso pieces where insured through; in the hopes that they would pay them a large ransom, as the cost for the insurance company to pay out would have been millions.
