The empty space where a Henri Matisse painting was hanging in Kunsthal museum, Rotterdam. Investigators looked into whether a painting stolen from the Netherlands had turned up in Romania. Photo / AP file
Nearly seven years ago, a team of art thieves pulled an incredible haul, stealing works by Picasso, Matisse, Gauguin and Monet from a gallery in Rotterdam. The Guardian called it "one of the most spectacular art heists of modern times".
Last weekend, a Dutch novelist thought that she'd stumbled upon
one of the works - Picasso's Tete d'Arlequin - buried under a tree in the Romanian countryside.
Mira Feticu, who wrote a book about the heist, said she'd received an anonymous letter about 10 days ago with instructions for tracking the painting.
Feticu's discovery sent shivers of excitement through the art world. Though four Romanians were arrested in connection with the crime in 2014, the paintings were never found. Investigators said they believed the works had been destroyed after the thieves failed to find a buyer. Olga Dogaru, one of the perpetrators, even confessed to burning the works in her stove to protect her son.
She later retracted that statement. But specialists from Romania's natural history museum said ashes from Dogaru's stove contained traces of at least three of the oil paintings.
