:strip_icc()/s03.video.glbimg.com/x720/9644110.jpg "Greece recovers Picasso and Mondrian paintings stolen from exhibition in 2012 | pop art")
Greek police announced on Monday that they had recovered artworks by Pablo Picasso and by Dutch painter Piet Mondrian, both of which were stolen from Greece’s National Museum in 2012.
Thieves broke into the gallery and took Picasso’s “Woman’s Head”, donated in 1949 by the Spanish artist, and Mondrian’s “Moinho”, dated 1905.
To deceive the guards, the thieves activated the alarm system several times before storming the building during the night. The guard turned off the alarm and later detected one of the thieves thanks to the motion detector.
Greek police recover works by Pablo Picasso and Dutch painter Piet Mondrian after the 2012 National Museum theft – Photo: REUTERS/Costas Baltas
Before escaping, the thief dropped another Mondrian painting from 1905.
A police official, who asked not to be identified, said that, on Monday, the police discovered two artworks hiding in a valley in the Athens area, and arrested a Greek man.
The Greek authorities are expected to issue an official statement on the case on Tuesday (29).
Video: Thieves Steal Picasso and Mondrian’s Works in Greece:
Thieves steal Picasso and Mondrian’s works in Greece
