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| Pranksters plant 'stolen Picasso’ in Romania | Pranksters plant 'stolen Picasso’ in Romania |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A Dutch writer who thought she had found a painting by Pablo Picasso stolen six years ago has said she was the victim of a publicity stunt, media reported. | A Dutch writer who thought she had found a painting by Pablo Picasso stolen six years ago has said she was the victim of a publicity stunt, media reported. |
| Picasso’s Harlequin Head was one of seven celebrated paintings snatched from the Kunsthal museum in Rotterdam in 2012 during a daring robbery local media dubbed “the theft of the century”. | Picasso’s Harlequin Head was one of seven celebrated paintings snatched from the Kunsthal museum in Rotterdam in 2012 during a daring robbery local media dubbed “the theft of the century”. |
| The artworks by Picasso, Monet, Gauguin, Matisse and Lucian Freud have not been seen since. | The artworks by Picasso, Monet, Gauguin, Matisse and Lucian Freud have not been seen since. |
| But the Dutch writer Mira Feticu, who wrote a novel based on the heist, thought she had found the Picasso painting after she was sent an anonymous letter about 10 days ago with instructions telling her where it was hidden. | But the Dutch writer Mira Feticu, who wrote a novel based on the heist, thought she had found the Picasso painting after she was sent an anonymous letter about 10 days ago with instructions telling her where it was hidden. |
| Feticu, of Romanian origin, told AFP the tip-off led her to a forest in the east of the country where she dug up an artwork wrapped in plastic. | Feticu, of Romanian origin, told AFP the tip-off led her to a forest in the east of the country where she dug up an artwork wrapped in plastic. |
| Romanian authorities, who were handed the canvas on Saturday night, said it “might be” Picasso’s painting, which is estimated to be worth €800,000 euros (£710,000). | Romanian authorities, who were handed the canvas on Saturday night, said it “might be” Picasso’s painting, which is estimated to be worth €800,000 euros (£710,000). |
| However, on Sunday night, Feticu told the Dutch public broadcaster NOS that she was the victim of a “performance” by two Belgian directors in Antwerp. | However, on Sunday night, Feticu told the Dutch public broadcaster NOS that she was the victim of a “performance” by two Belgian directors in Antwerp. |
| Feticu said she received an email explaining that the letter was part of a project called “True Copy”, dedicated to the notorious Dutch forger Geert Jan Jansen, whose fakes flooded the art collections of Europe and beyond until he was caught in 1994. | Feticu said she received an email explaining that the letter was part of a project called “True Copy”, dedicated to the notorious Dutch forger Geert Jan Jansen, whose fakes flooded the art collections of Europe and beyond until he was caught in 1994. |
| “Part of this performance was prepared in silence in the course of the past few months, with a view to bringing back Picasso’s Tête d’Arlequin,” Bart Baele and Yves Degryse wrote on their website. | |
| In a statement, they said their production company “currently wishes to abstain from any comment” because it first wanted to speak to Feticu. “We will be back with more details on this issue within the next few days.” | In a statement, they said their production company “currently wishes to abstain from any comment” because it first wanted to speak to Feticu. “We will be back with more details on this issue within the next few days.” |
| Four Romanians were jailed in 2014 for the robbery and ordered to pay €18m (£16m at today’s rates) to the work’s insurers. | Four Romanians were jailed in 2014 for the robbery and ordered to pay €18m (£16m at today’s rates) to the work’s insurers. |
| One of the group, Olga Dogaru, told investigators she had burned the paintings in her stove in the village of Carcaliu to protect her son, Radu, when he could not sell them. She later retracted the statement. | One of the group, Olga Dogaru, told investigators she had burned the paintings in her stove in the village of Carcaliu to protect her son, Radu, when he could not sell them. She later retracted the statement. |
| Investigators have previously said the paintings were destroyed after the thieves failed to find a buyer. | Investigators have previously said the paintings were destroyed after the thieves failed to find a buyer. |
| Specialists from Romania’s museum of natural history examined ashes from a stove in Dogaru’s home and found traces of at least three oil paintings, based on lead- and zinc-based pigments in blue, yellow, red and green that are no longer used, the museum’s director, Ernest Oberländer-Târnoveanu said. | Specialists from Romania’s museum of natural history examined ashes from a stove in Dogaru’s home and found traces of at least three oil paintings, based on lead- and zinc-based pigments in blue, yellow, red and green that are no longer used, the museum’s director, Ernest Oberländer-Târnoveanu said. |
| The thieves had slipped into the Dutch museum during the night of 15-16 October 2012 and got away with the works that despite their value were not protected by alarms. | The thieves had slipped into the Dutch museum during the night of 15-16 October 2012 and got away with the works that despite their value were not protected by alarms. |
| Art | Art |
| Netherlands | Netherlands |
| Art theft | |
| Romania | Romania |
| Europe | Europe |
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