Thursday, July 12, 2012

Stolen Art Watch, Henry Moore Sundial, Hotter Than July


Henry Moore sculpture stolen from Hertfordshire museum

A bronze sculpture by Henry Moore, valued at up to £500,000, has been stolen from the grounds of a Hertfordshire museum.

The 22in-high Sundial, 1965, was taken from The Henry Moore Foundation in Much Hadham on Tuesday night.

Seven years ago, a bronze statue worth £3m was stolen from the same museum - the sculptor's former home - and was never recovered.

Police later said they believed it had been melted down for its scrap value.

CCTV pictures of the 2005 theft showed three men loading the statue of "a reclining figure" on to the back of a Mercedes lorry using a crane.

Police are appealing for anyone with information about the latest incident to come forward.

Detective Inspector Paul Watts said: "This Sundial sculpture is a valuable piece and we are very keen to speak to anyone who may have seen it since 16:30 on 10 July."

The son of a coalminer, Castleford-born Henry Moore (1898-1986) is regarded as the UK's most famous sculptor.

Picasso and Renoir paintings worth $21 million stolen from Czech businessman

Czech police are searching for Picasso and Renoir paintings stolen from a local businessman in the town of Olomouc. The art is reportedly worth $21 million.

The robbers got away with a Renoir and ten Picasso drawings in mid June. The police have only released the information as part of their investigation, the Ria Novosti news agency reports.

"Unknown suspects broke into the house of the 51-year-old businessman in Olomouc and after resorting to violence forced him to hand over the keys for his safe-deposit," the local police spokesperson said. “He was seriously injured, but managed to call the police.”

The businessman was reportedly tied and beaten up.

Apart from the art the criminals also stole other valuables.

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