The federal police of Namur, Belgium, recovered two stolen artworks last week. The stolen works are paintings by Pablo Picasso and Marc Chagall, stolen in 2010 in Tel Aviv.
One suspect has been arrested. The organized crime department of the federal judicial police in Namur was informed in late 2022 that a Belgian resident in Namur was offering Marc Chagall's "L’homme en prière" and Pablo Picasso's "Tête" for sale. The two artworks were part of a major theft in February 2010 at an art collector's residence in Tel Aviv. Thieves made off with jewelry worth $680,000 and two paintings with a combined value estimated at $900,000 at the time.
After months of careful investigation, it was determined that an identified suspect had the sought-after artworks in his possession. Last Wednesday, at the request of the examining magistrate, two searches were carried out at the main suspect's residence. A large sum of money was found, but not the paintings. "Although the suspect admitted having the paintings in his possession, he refused to disclose where he had hid them."
The investigation ultimately led the police to Antwerp, where a new search revealed the two paintings in a basement, still in good condition. The artworks have not suffered any damage and remain in their original frames. The main suspect has been charged with trafficking two paintings and is under arrest.
Main Image :Copyright PJF Namur
Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.
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