£400,000 Art Theft Biggest In Britain

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29872, 12 July 1962, Page 11

£400,000 Art Theft Biggest In Britain

<h.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

LONDON, July IL

Thirty-five modern and impressionist paintings valued about t'UKMHM) were stolen from a London gallery last night by thieves wise scaled a fire-escape and forced a door to commit what was believed Britain’s biggest art theft.

Works stolen included 10 Benoirs and works bv Monet Toulouse-Lautrec, Bonnard and Brague. Mr Jsroues O'Hana owner of the O'Hana Art Gallery in the Mayfair district said: “They have cleared ou’ nearly all my exhibition s'ufT. except for the few paintings I have delivered Six weeks ag-' 12 pa nting? —including two Picassos cght Degas a Matisse and a Renoir—were stolen from the Lefevre Gallery also in the exnens’ve Mavfair district Eleven of these paintings—valued al CSO.OOO- were recovered h» police early las’ m nth after a telephoned upoff.

The raiders are thought to have climbed a Are escape a the rear of the building A door about two flights up on the fire escape shoved signs of having been forced The new theft was discov ered shortly after 7 a m GMT and detectives quickly went to the gallery. The O'Hana Gallery specialises in modem paintings and impressionists. A previous theft from the gallery occurred in July, 1958 when a Renoir miniature “La Promenade," valued a' £llOO was removed from its frame and replaced with a coloured print of the "Madonna and Child."