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Oracle of DelphiCezannne, Monet, Degas and Van Gogh – The Ultimate Art Heist
February 13th 2008 03:42
Cezannne, Monet, Degas and Van Gogh – The Ultimate Art heist
Cezanne's The Boy In The Red Vest
Sounding more like the ultimate prize for a group of A-Team style thieves in a Hollywood film, time.com is reporting on a daring art caper that took place last Sunday in Switzerland.
At about 4.30pm while visitors to the Zurich's E.G. Bührle Museum were quietly absorbing the majesty around them a trio of armed gunman held guards at gunpoint then proceeded to take the galleries four most prized works.
The staggering selection had police spokesman Marco Cortesi saying "Obviously, they knew exactly what they wanted to take because they went directly to that room and to those paintings."
Vincent Van Gogh's Blossoming Chestnut Branches
The most precious on the list, Cezanne The Boy In The Red Vest is valued at over $100,000 The other stolen masterworks are Van Gogh's Blossoming Chestnut Branches, Monet's Poppies near Vétheuil, and Degas' Count Lepic and His Daughters.
From start to finish the operation took under three minutes with no injuries, indicating the crew were professionals. The Zurich's E.G. Bührle Museum may be geographically remote but boasts state of the art security measures that have left the David Vuillaume, secretary general of the Swiss Museums Association musing "The question is, how do we protect museums against armed thieves, while remaining open and welcoming”
Devastating the art world at large, there is speculation of a ransom being forthcoming because the stolen merchandise is so high profile even the black market may shun it. Either way it is disturbing to think of such precious and frankly priceless treasures disappearing from the public eye forever.
Read the full story at time.com
Monet's Poppies near Vétheuil
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Comment by KylieW
Celebrity Obsession
Comment by Dexter
It is a ludicrous feat isn't it. I assume though if these dudes had a plan good enough to pull the job off then they will have given some thought to unloading it.
Maybe a buyer who backed the job, but the assertion that a ransom note may be forthcoming seems logical.
Thanks for the visit.