Thieves Take Renoir Painting Off Wall Just Prior to Auction in Vienna
- November 28, 2018 18:41
Three middle-aged men entered an auction house in Vienna and removed a painting by French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir from a wall on Monday, according to a police statement. The artwork was displayed on the second floor for an upcoming sale at the Dorotheum auction house.
Each thief escaped through a different exit. The incident took just minutes, with the artwork removed from its frame. Police have released images of the suspects.
Dorotheum previously had listed online a Renoir painting from 1895 titled "Golfe, Mer, Falaises Vertes," with a pre-sale estimate of between 120,000 euros and 160,000 euros ($136,000-$181,000).