Stolen Rembrandt drawing found in church

Sketch by Dutch painter worth £152,000 recovered 25 miles away from Los Angeles hotel where it was being exhibited A Rembrandt drawing stolen from a hotel in the Los Angeles area has been recovered at a church in nearby Encino. Owners of the drawing, known as The Judgment, verified that the recovered pen-and-ink artwork valued at $250,000 (£152,000) and measuring 28cm x 41cm (11in x 16in) was the original that had vanished from an exhibit on Saturday night , said Steve Whitmore, spokesman for the Los Angeles county police department. An anonymous tipoff led investigators to the church on Monday, and experts from the Linearis Institute, which owns the drawing, verified its authenticity, he said. There are no suspects in custody, and authorities are not commenting on how the drawing ended up at the church about 25 miles from Los Angeles. They also are not confirming the name of the church. The drawing was in “a building on the church grounds, not in the sanctuary”, Whitmore said. It wasn’t hanging on a wall or otherwise displayed, he said. “We got an anonymous tip because there was so much news coverage,” Whitmore told Reuters. “That really was the turning point. The news coverage led people to call us and say, ‘Hey, I’ve seen this, and this is where I’ve seen it.’ We responded, and they were right. There it was.” The drawing by the 17th-century Dutch artist disappeared on Saturday night from an exhibit at the Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey. The theft happened while the curator was being distracted by a person who “appeared to be buying something, and that required the attention of the curator”, Whitmore said. “As the curator turned away from the exhibit momentarily and then turned back, he saw that the Rembrandt was gone.” Hi-tech specialists are scouring hotel security video, and authorities may release a sketch or stills of the suspects later this week or next week, Whitmore said. Rembrandt Painting United States guardian.co.uk

Posted by on August 17, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.