Picasso And Chagall Paintings Worth 900 Thousand US Dollars Stolen Successfully Found In Belgium

Picasso (right) and Chagall paintings that have been found in Belgium. (Source: Police Judiciaire fédérale Namur)

JAKARTA - Belgian police managed to find the stolen paintings of Picasso and Chagall in the basement of the city of Yesterday, local authorities said on Tuesday, saying the artwork was still in good condition.

The paintings, respectively titled "Trypte" by Picasso and Chagall's "Lhome en priere", were stolen from an art collector in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 2010 and are estimated to be worth around 900.000 US dollars.

At the time of the theft, $680,000 in jewelry was also stolen, but only his painting was found.

The discovery of the two works of art began when local police began an investigation, when a source told them, a Belgian citizen offered the two works of art for sale.

The investigation has been going on for several months, according to federal police, quoted by French-speaking Belgian daily Le Soir.

"The police investigation and resources implemented during 2023 make it possible to determine that the suspect does have the work he is looking for and he can have it at his home or at the home of one of his relatives," the authorities said, quoted by The Times of Israel on January 17.

Initially, "Even though he claimed to have the paintings, the suspect refused to tell where he kept them," the police said.

The investigation directed police to a house in ruleerp, where the paintings were found in the basement in excellent condition, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, local prosecutors said the main suspect had been arrested for accepting the stolen painting.