Paris picture thief suggests that threw stolen into a vat with garbage

Among the five paintings, which, according to the kidnapper, he threw out in a panic, were the works of Picasso, Matisse and Leger. The paintings were stolen in May 2010 from the Paris Museum of Modern Art, where the alarm system did not work then.

A visitor in front of Modigliani’s Woman with a Fan in New York (photo: Don Emmert / AFP / Getty Images)

Suspected of harboring valuable works of art stolen from the Paris Museum of Modern Art last year, claims to have thrown it into the trash in a panic.

In May 2010, paintings of Picasso, Braque, Modigliani, Matisse and Leger were stolen for a total value of about 134 million dollars. These priceless works of art could fall into a trash can on a Parisian street and be simply recycled with all the garbage that accumulated there in a day. At least, three suspects of theft consider so.

The first suspect, a 34-year-old watchmaker, was identified by the French weekly Journal du Dimanche as Jonathan B. The publication printed a detailed investigation in one of its recent issues.

There are two more suspects: the 56-year-old owner of an antique shop, who is accused of plotting a robbery, and the 43-year-old Serb nicknamed Spider-Man, who allegedly climbed the steep walls of Parisian houses in search of valuable works art and other booty.

It is the Serb who is suspected of hiding with five paintings in the early morning of May 20, 2010. After he was detained by the police, he said that he was going to steal just one picture - "Still Life with a Candle" by Fernand Leger. But, having removed the picture from the wall and found that the alarm did not work, the kidnapper took four more masterpieces with him, and then drove away in a car parked nearby. Despite the fact that security cameras were installed in the hall, three night watchmen did not notice a malefactor in a mask.

The incident forced the French museums to reconsider their security systems, and only then it was discovered that the alarm system in the injured institution had not been functioning for a month.

Work on the case began when a special police unit in France detained the Serb and the owner of an antique store. This happened in May on suspicion of other crimes. The Associated Press reported that a third suspect, Jonathan B, was interrogated, but later released.

After calling the police, the attacker panicked and, according to him, threw unsurpassed works of art into the trash can: Picasso’s Dove with Green Peas, Matisse’s Pastoral, Marriage’s Olive Tree near Estacia, Modigliani’s Woman with a Fan and Leger Still Life.

The store owner denies the order of the crime, but the kidnapper noted that the stolen works were brought to his accomplice, and he handed them to Jonathan B., whom the French publication describes as a famous Parisian watchmaker.

All three were interrogated and arrested in mid-September on charges of theft from the museum. Investigators do not rule out the possibility that the paintings can still be restored.

Based on materials from the Los Angeles Times.