[chun]

http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/05/20/picasso-matisse-among-stolen-masterpieces/


Picasso, Matisse Among Stolen Masterpieces

By: Glen Levy (http://newsfeed.time.com/author/glentime/) (23 mins ago)


According to police reports, the theft took place overnight Wednesday at the Museum of Modern Art. The five missing paintings are said to be Le pigeon aux petits pois by Pablo Picasso, La pastorale by Henri Matisse, L’olivier pres de l’Estaque by Georges Braque, La femme a l’eventail by Amedeo Modigliani and Nature morte aux chandeliers by Fernand Leger.

A window at the museum had been broken and the padlock of a grill giving access was smashed. CCTV footage showed an individual climbing in through a window. Police have cordoned off the museum, which is in the 16th arrondisement, just across the river Seine from the Eiffel Tower.

But the motivation behind the crime — presumably the making of money — could be hard to achieve. French newspaper Le Monde reported that these paintings are so well-known that it will be difficult to sell them on the open market. Nevertheless, the police did describe the raid as one of the most daring in many years. The museum itself was taking a slightly more subtle approach: A notice on the door simply said, “Closed today for technical reasons.”

Five paintings worth over $600m — including masterpieces by Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse — have been stolen from a Paris museum.

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/05/20/picasso-matisse-among-stolen-masterpieces/#ixzz0oTcHIi3I

Pink Panther?

[Onassis]

More like Thomas Crown...

[Greenstoner]

we need Sherlock Holmes

[AzNightmare]

I can't believe these pieces of artwork are worth so much.

[Gt-R R34]

^ i'm not.

but the #s always make me wonder how much Mona Lisa is acutally worth, IF you could quantify it. The paintings in the Louvre by Da Vinci are the definition of priceless.

I wonder if 2.5billion be a good starting benchmark for Mona Lisa.. hmm..

[GabAlmighty]

Fuck... I'll see you guys in a little while. Didn't think this would already be all over the internet.

[Noir]

A window at the museum had been broken and the padlock of a grill giving access was smashed. CCTV footage showed an individual climbing in through a window. Police have cordoned off the museum, which is in the 16th arrondisement, just across the river Seine from the Eiffel Tower.

WTF? A smash and grab on a window & padlock is all it takes to steal $600M of fine arts in a museum? I was anticipating it would be far more complex than that.

[Mugen EvOlutioN]

houston we got a problem

[skillznrice]

WTF? A smash and grab on a window & padlock is all it takes to steal $600M of fine arts in a museum? I was anticipating it would be far more complex than that.

hmm sounds like the thiefs worked out a deal with the news reporters telling them to put a false story...

lol

[AzNightmare]

^ i'm not.

but the #s always make me wonder how much Mona Lisa is acutally worth, IF you could quantify it. The paintings in the Louvre by Da Vinci are the definition of priceless.

I wonder if 2.5billion be a good starting benchmark for Mona Lisa.. hmm..

But can you explain why these paintings are worth so much then?

[Full`Throttle]

^^ it's people who value the art and it's meaning that it's worth money to. These paintings are worth no more than a postage stamp to me.

[flagella]

lol you CAN'T quantify its values, so stop bothering.

[Hehe]

These masterpieces are worth so much because there's only 1 of them each.

And the talented painters already died, hence, no new one would ever be created again.

But again, if you have seen these masterpieces in real person you'd be stunned how much depth they have. When I was in Europe I went to see Mona Lisa along a couple of Van Gogh works. And I was speechless. Seeing them in person vs. pics on the net are totally different thing, and it would be a total privilege to be able to own one of them in the future.

[StylinRed]

The BBC was saying these types of thefts happen Often in France and the majority of the time the paintings/thieves aren't found

[moomooCow]

WTF? A smash and grab on a window & padlock is all it takes to steal $600M of fine arts in a museum? I was anticipating it would be far more complex than that.

:haha: yeah what the fuck?? Sounds like my house is more secure than the museum.......

[b-dub]

I don't get why people want to steal paintings, not like you can sell it on the open market. Diamonds or gold would be much easier to sell.

[Mugen EvOlutioN]

^

i was thinking the same

u steal it, than what? bring it home, hang it on the wall?


even if you do sell it, anyone with a pea size brain would know its stolen

[StylinRed]

^

i was thinking the same

u steal it, than what? bring it home, hang it on the wall?


even if you do sell it, anyone with a pea size brain would know its stolen


They sell it on the black market... they sell... people know its stolen... they don't care... they want THAT painting in their collection and there's NO other way in attaining it, not legally, hell they were probably paid by someone with $$$ before they did the smash n grab

[asahai69]

It was this man

http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/object3/388/119/n89637783383_4086.jpg

[t8v6]

I don't get why people want to steal paintings, not like you can sell it on the open market. Diamonds or gold would be much easier to sell.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3179/2494639703_9e057fdccc.jpg
^warning: nsfw
this piece of art is worth much more to me...

[Hondaracer]

These masterpieces are worth so much because there's only 1 of them each.

And the talented painters already died, hence, no new one would ever be created again.

But again, if you have seen these masterpieces in real person you'd be stunned how much depth they have. When I was in Europe I went to see Mona Lisa along a couple of Van Gogh works. And I was speechless. Seeing them in person vs. pics on the net are totally different thing, and it would be a total privilege to be able to own one of them in the future.

exactly

value in almost anything is based on rarity

ie. You have a wayne gretzky rookie card, sure it's gretzky and his first card, but there are 30,000 of them out there

find a card that had only 100-200 printed and it's obviously worth more

[!Aznboi128]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3179/2494639703_9e057fdccc.jpg

this piece of art is worth much more to me...
spoiler is nsfw!

[t8v6]

oops edited :p

[tegz]

Niel Kaffrey from White Collar?

[jtanner_]

Quite the security measures

[tonyvu]

the fuck? i was hoping the thieves would have to maneuver around trip lasers or someshit, but a window and a padlock? my room is more secure than that LOL

[flagella]

should've been as secure as this one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXgsCPFhSgc

[The_AK]

any photos of the paintings?

edit* fuck it, i'll do it myself

http://a33.idata.over-blog.com/405x499/2/49/99/19/PICASSO-Le-pigeon-aux-petits-pois-1911.jpg
Le Pigeon Aux Petits Pois by Pablo Picasso (I actually really like this one)

http://a10.idata.over-blog.com/800x600/2/01/43/65/Art-moderne-2/Art-moderne-2_8317.jpg
La Pastorale by Henri Matisse

http://www.bluetravelguide.com/photosBTG/00/00/06/76/ME0000067687_3.JPG
L’olivier pres de l’Estaque by Georges Braque

http://www.passion-estampes.com/deco/affiches/modigliani/modiglianifemmealeventail.jpg
La femme a l’eventail by Amedeo Modigliani

http://www.elpais.com/recorte/20100520elpepucul_9/XXLCO/Ies/Nature_morte_aux_chandeliers_Fernand_Leger.jpg
Nature morte aux chandeliers by Fernand Leger

[Noir]

As if I'm not already disappointed about the smash and grab to gain entry, but I'm wondering how they got the paintings off the wall?

It's a museum and shouldn't these paintings of this value be anchored to its display case or wall? Or were they just hung on a nail and string on the paintings backing?