FBI agents returned Matisse’s painting stolen over 10 years ago

The painting of the great French master Henri Matisse, which was stolen from the Museum of Caracas (Venezuela) more than ten years ago, was returned today, during a secret operation in one of the Miami Beach hotels.

The man and woman who allegedly tried to sell the work “Odalisque in Red Bloomers” (Odalisque à la culotte rouge), were arrested and charged with possession of stolen goods for $ 740,000 (£ 472,000). If they plead guilty, they face up to 10 years in prison.

Experts estimate the picture depicting a scene in a harem at about $ 3,000,000.

According to police, the picture was brought by courier from Mexico. How the police tracked the sellers of an object of art, the press was not informed.

In 2003, officials at an art gallery in Caracas announced that the painting was stolen from the museum and replaced with a fake. The fact of the theft was opened when a collector said that the original picture is not in the museum, but is offered for sale at auction in New York. When gallery specialists examined the work, they noticed subtle differences indicating a fake. In particular, the shape of the shadow behind the dancer was different and there was no thin green line in the lower right corner.

The Caracas Museum acquired Odalisque from the Marlborough Gallery in New York in 1981 for $ 400,000.

Matisse, who is considered one of the artists who revolutionized art in the first half of the 20th century, along with Pablo Picasso, is a popular target of theft, dozens of his works are reported missing.

Matisse’s works are highly valued at auctions. In May of this year, one of his works was sold for $ 19 million.

Anna Sidorova