Venezuela welcomes back stolen Matisse painting
Venezuela welcomes back stolen Matisse painting
Updated 3:36 pm, Monday, July 7, 2014
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A painting by Henri Matisse stolen more than a decade ago from a museum in Venezuela made its homecoming Monday.
The painting, "Odalisque in Red Pants," has been returned to Venezuelan hands. Officials say a piece of national heritage has been restored.
Venezuelan authorities say the 1925 painting, valued at $3 million, was stolen from the Caracas museum in 2000. The original work was swapped out for a copy.
It was found in July 2012 when a couple tried to sell it to undercover FBI agents for $740,000 at a hotel in [font size=4]Miami Beach. [/font] The two were sent to prison for attempting to sell the stolen work.
The painting arrived in Caracas from the U.S. on Monday, and is to be returned to the Caracas Museum of Contemporary Art.
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/world/article/Venezuela-welcomes-back-stolen-Matisse-painting-5605167.php
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