The Greek police have recovered two stolen paintings by Piet Mondrian and Pablo Picasso. It is about works that in 2012 were stolen from a museum in Athens.
The paintings, Picassos Woman’s head from 1939 and the oil painting Mill by Mondriaan from 1905, were stolen from the museum overnight on January 9, 2012. In addition to the works of Picasso and Mondrian, a sketch by the Italian artist Guglielmo Caccia was stolen. The sketch was later found damaged. A fourth work Landscape (1905) by Mondrian, the thieves had to leave behind in their flight.
The burglars led the guards around the yard by setting off the alarm system several times before the break-in. As a result, the guards turn off the alarm. In 7 minutes, the perpetrators managed to break in through a balcony door, cut the artworks from the frame and then take them from the museum. Two men were previously convicted of the robbery, but the mastermind behind the robbery has never been clarified.
The works were found in Keratea in the East Attica district, south of Athens. They were hidden in a man’s house. Police have not released any further details. It is also not clear in what condition the paintings are.
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