Museum heist in broad daylight: Kuindzhi painting VANISHES from Moscow’s Tretyakov gallery (PHOTO)
A rare painting by famous Russian artist Arkhip Kuindzhi went missing from a wall in Moscow’s Tretyakov gallery as dozens of visitors were enjoying the exhibit.
The audacity with which the the painting titled ‘Ai-Petri. Crimea’ was stolen may make ‘Thomas Crown’ pale in comparison.
🎨”Ай-Петри.Крым”~Архип Куинджи,русский художник греческого происхождения родился 27(15)января: pic.twitter.com/LWsa0QZCO0
— Vladimir Borisoff (@vlb091) January 27, 2019
A man, described by witnesses as tall, blond and in his late twenties, approached the picture, took it from the wall and left. At first people thought he was one of the museum workers, and only after a few moments they realized that the painting were stolen. An empty spot, hooks and a title plate were all that’s left.
Славянин с большой головой. Стали известны приметы похитителя картины Куинджи https://t.co/vrZpWmXxzq
— Лариса (@protivfachizma) January 27, 2019
Какой-то хитрец зашел в Третьяковку и средь бела дня просто взял и стащил картину Архипа Куинджи «Ай-Петри. Крым». Причем, никто даже и не подумал, что полотно воруют. В МВД официально подтвердили факт кражи, уже получен портрет похитителяhttps://t.co/Rk0oBhOkgNpic.twitter.com/vMK8WXsmvB
— Лента.ру (@lentaruofficial) January 27, 2019
Kuindzhi is a “very expensive” artist as his works seldon appear on the market or in private collections, fine art expert, Sergey Podstanitsky, told Govorit Moskva radio.
A few years back, a collector cashed out $1 million for Kuindzhi’s paining of the same size as the stolen one, he said.
Police have not released any statements so far, but people leaving the museum were seen being searched.
The 19th century painter Kuindzhi devoted his life to landscapes and was praised for depicting light and its effects.
Treyakov gallery, one of the main museums in Moscow featuring Russian art, has been hosting the Kuindzhi show since October with paintings brought in from around the world. The museum said the painting was ensured for a sum of 12 million rubles (around $182,000).
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