Do These Paintings Look Familiar? The LAPD Launches a Website to Find the Owners of More Than 100 Lost-and-Found Artworks and Antiques

Twenty-five years ago, a pair of
burglars went on a break-in spree across Hollywood and Westside Los
Angeles, stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of art and
antiques from wealthy homeowners. Though they were apprehended in
1993, the objects remained missing for years.

Until now. 

The Los Angeles Police
Department recently recovered the trove of stolen
artworks—including paintings by Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró, among
others—and are working to track down the objects’ rightful
owners. 

According to the
Los Angeles
Times, the LAPD
were tipped off as to the whereabouts of the objects when they
received a phone call from a auctioneer in southern California this
summer. The caller claimed to be in possession of some of the art,
which he recognized from a website set up by a police
investigative unit. 

The tip revived the long-dormant
case, officially called “Operation Demetra.” Police obtained search
warrants and tracked down more than 100 paintings, antiques, and
other stolen artifacts throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties.
In addition to the many paintings, they found vintage furniture,
old firearms, and documents signed by Presidents Ronald Reagan and
Howard Taft.

“We are in the process of
identifying the specific art, artists, and how much it might be
worth,” captain Lillian Carranza, the head of the LAPD’s commercial
crimes division, told the Times. Carranza said her unit
was working with experts at the nearby J. Paul Getty Museum to
index the artworks and examine their condition after they were
improperly stored for a quarter of a century. 

At the time of their arrest in
1993, the two men apprehended in the case were characterized by
police as “Armenian nationals.” Authorities released the name of
one: Paul Tobeler, who died shortly after completing his multi-year
prison sentence. The other, who is believed still to be alive, was
left unidentified due to the current
investigation. 

Police believe the person who
provided the artwork to the auction house to be a relative of one
of the original suspects, though authorities are currently unsure
whether or not this person knew the items were stolen. It is not
uncommon for art thieves to sit on stolen objects for years or even
decades before trying to sell them, one officer told the
Times.

The LAPD has encouraged people
to visit their website devoted to the
case and get in touch if they recognize any of the
goods. 

The post Do These Paintings Look Familiar? The LAPD Launches
a Website to Find the Owners of More Than 100 Lost-and-Found
Artworks and Antiques appeared first on artnet News.