Two Paintings by Picasso Stolen in Overnight Theft

Paris police revealed that two paintings by Picasso were stolen. The theft happened overnight at the home of Picasso's granddaughter - Diana Widmaier Picasso.

The two paintings - "Maya With Doll" and "Portrait Of Jacqueline" were taken from the home in Paris' chic Seventh Arrondissement late Monday or early Tuesday. Two drawings, one by Picasso and the other without attribution, may also have been taken, although Celine Astolfe - the Picasso family lawyer - was unable to confirm this.

According to the lawyer, Diana Widmaier and her mother Maya (the daughter of Marie-Therese Walter, Picasso's mistress), heard sounds in the middle of the night, but saw nothing.

"They heard a noise, went downstairs and saw nothing," he said. "They went to bed and the following morning they saw that two paintings were missing."

The theft appeared to be the work of professionals, said the lawyer. There were no signs of break-in and the alarms had all been neutralized. "They blocked the alarm and they had either the code or keys."

According to experts, the paintings - although part of the Picasso family's private collection - are well-known and would be almost impossible to sell. Jonathan Sazonoff, who operates a web site on stolen art, said that any stolen painting by Picasso is "very hard to fence because it's so well-known - stealing a Picasso is like stealing a sign that says, 'I'm a thief.'"

Estimates for such paintings are hard to judge, but police placed the value of the artwork at somewhere around $66 million, although Astolfe said their actual value may be somewhat higher. This number is but a fraction of what other Picasso works have been valued at, such as "Boy With A Pipe" from 1905, which sold for $104 million at auction in 2004.

But these particular paintings have more value than monetary. These were among the paintings Picasso did not sell, selecting instead to keep for himself. "Portrait Of Jackueline," for instance, shows Picasso's second wife, while "May And The Doll" is a portrait of the artist's daughter.

It remains unclear at this time how the thieves might have entered the house. Police are inspecting a door lock for signs of break-in, and are testing the alarm system to see if it was turned on at the time.

These two Picasso pieces join more than 400 others which have been stolen over the years.

Sources:

www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/28/news/pablo.php
www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/28/arts/EU-A-E-ART-France-Picasso-Theft.php