VIENNA – Dutch police in Amsterdam arrested on Wednesday one of the three men linked to the theft of a canvas by renowned French Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir stolen from a distinguished Austrian auction house before it was set to go under the hammer.
A spokeswoman for the Viennese prosecutor, Nina Bussek, told Austrian media that a swift extradition process had been launched to bring back the detained Ukrainian to Austria for trial.
Bussek also confirmed the suspect was arrested between Friday of last week and Monday in Amsterdam.
The remaining two thieves are allegedly still at large.
Neither the police nor the prosecutor’s office have revealed the identity of the men responsible for the heist, although they did release security camera footage of them at the Dorotheum Auction House Gallery on the day of the robbery.
Given the investigation was still ongoing, police were reluctant to share any further details.
“Gulf, sea, green cliffs” (1895), a 27 by 40 centimeter (10.6 by 15.7 inches) oil painting valued at somewhere between 120,000 ($136,459) and 160,000 euros was stolen on Nov. 26 and was due to have gone under the hammer on Nov. 28 at the “Modern Art” auction alongside another Renoir canvas and various other paintings by Pablo Picasso, Henri Rousseau, Marc Chagall and Gustav Klimt, among others.
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