Nine paintings stolen from a private collection in Encino in 2008 were recovered by the LAPD this week. They were valued at over $10 million, and included paintings by Emil Nolde, Marc Chagall, Diego Rivera, as well as Arshile Gorky’s Cubist Still Life, at left. Three other paintings stolen at the same time are still being sought.
The cold case got warm when a middleman in Europe named “Darko” tried to sell the paintings. When police recovered the loot they also uncovered a stash of forgeries. Red Dot can’t wait for the movie version!
Read the LA Times story on the cracked case, and the original LAPD details of the theft and announcement of the reward.