Police: Thieves steal Picasso, Matisse, 3 other paintings from Paris modern art museum

FOXNews.com - Police: Thieves steal Picasso, Matisse, 3 other paintings from Paris modern art museum Police: Thieves steal Picasso, Matisse, 3 other paintings from Paris modern art museum Associated Press PARIS PARIS (AP) — Police say five paintings including masterpieces by Picasso and Matisse have been stolen from a Paris museum. PARIS (AP) — Police say five paintings including masterpieces by Picasso and Matisse have been stolen from a Paris museum. A Paris police official says the paintings were reported missing early Thursday at the Paris Museum of Modern Art. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the preliminary investigation is still under way. The official said the paintings were by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, George Braque, Amedeo Modigliani and Fernand Leger. Police and investigators have cordoned off the museum, across the Seine River from the Eiffel Tower. A woman who answered the phone at the museum said questions about the theft would only be answered by the office of Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe. Posted using ShareThis http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/10130840.stm Five masterpieces stolen from Paris modern art museum Five paintings by Picasso, Matisse and other great artists have been stolen from the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, police sources say. The paintings stolen are estimated to be worth some 500m euros (£431m; $618m), the sources say. They were taken overnight on Wednesday and reported missing early on Thursday, officials say. The museum, across the Seine river from the Eiffel Tower, has been cordoned off, reports say. 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. Officials at the museum discovered the theft early on Thursday when they found a window and a lock had been broken, sources said. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-news/7744545/Picasso-and-Matisse-stolen-from-Paris-museum-in-500-million-euro-raid.html Picasso and Matisse stolen from Paris museum in 500 million euro raid Five paintings, including masterpieces by Picasso and Matisse, were stolen from the Museum of Modern Art in Paris in a daring 500 million euro (£430 million) raid. € By Peter Allen in Paris Published: 11:20AM BST 20 May 2010 A Paris police official said the paintings were reported missing early on Thursday. The official said the paintings were by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, George Braque, Amedeo Modigliani and Fernand Leger. Police believe the theives smashed a reinforced glass window late on Wednesday night. According to the website Nouvel Observateur, the stolen paintings are: “Pigeon with peas” by Pablo Picasso; “Pastorale” by Henri Matisse; “Olive tree near l’Estaque” by Georges Braque; “Woman on the range” by Amédéo Modigliani; “Still life with candlesticks” by Fernand Léger Police and investigators have cordoned off the museum, across the river Seine from the Eiffel tower. "It's an enormous crime, one of the biggest in art history," said a source close to the enquiry. A woman who answered the phone at the museum said questions about the theft would only be answered by the office of Bertrand Delanoe, the Paris mayor. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100520/ap_on_en_ot/eu_france_museum_theft Paintings worth $613M stolen from Paris museum By ANGELA CHARLTON, Associated Press Writer Angela Charlton, Associated Press Writer – 9 mins ago PARIS – A lone thief stole five paintings worth a total of half a billion euros, including works by Picasso and Matisse, in a brazen overnight heist Thursday from a Paris modern art museum, police and prosecutors said. The paintings were reported missing early Thursday from the Paris Museum of Modern Art, across the Seine River from the Eiffel Tower, according to Paris police. Investigators have cordoned off the museum, in one of the French capital's most tourist-frequented neighborhoods. A single masked intruder was caught on a video surveillance camera entering the museum by a window and taking thet paintings away, according to the Paris prosecutor's office. Their collective worth is estimated at euro500 million ($613 million), the prosecutor's office said. The paintings were "Le pigeon aux petits-pois" (The Pigeon with the Peas) by Pablo Picasso, "Pastoral" by Henri Matisse, "Olive Tree near Estaque" by Georges Braque, "Woman with a Fan" by Amedeo Modigliani and "Still Life with Chandeliers" by Fernand Leger. A woman who answered the phone at the museum said questions about the theft would only be answered by the office of Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe. Delanoe's office did not immediately return calls for immediately comment. ___ Associated Press writer Greg Keller contributed to this report.