In a theft that feels almost impossible, thieves in northern Italy reportedly made off with paintings by Renoir, Cézanne, and Matisse in under three minutes. It all took place at The Magnani-Rocca Foundation near Parma, Italy.
The setting makes it stranger still: a quiet museum villa near Parma, home to one of Italy’s great private collections.
“Experts say that such heists have surged in recent years, especially as technological advancements and cryptocurrencies have made it easier to launder such treasures.“
The stolen works weren’t obscure treasures tucked away in storage, but instantly recognizable names from the canon of modern art. Which raises the obvious question: how does something like this even happen?
For now, authorities are investigating what appears to have been a swift, highly coordinated break-in. But the story already has the surreal texture of fiction. Masterpieces, moonlight, and a vanishing act so clean it hardly seems real.
Read more on the NYTimes.
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