August 21 from the Mahmoud Khalil Museum in Cairo had been stolen painting by Vincent van Gogh's "Poppy" (another name - "The vase of flowers"). The canvas is estimated at 50 million dollars.

Attackers cut picture frame from early on Saturday morning, when the museum was a little visitors. No alarm went off, and only 7 out of 43 surveillance cameras have been incorporated into the museum this time. The Egyptian government has accused the leadership of the museum in poorly designed security system.

On the same day in the Cairo airport detained two citizens of Italy on suspicion of involvement in this case. Married couple, seen in a museum: they went into the dressing-room, and then immediately left the building. The next day, Egyptian Culture Minister Farouk Hosni (Farouk Hosni) denied reports that the Italians were detained, and said that the painting was not found.

Unfortunately, Macs "leave the walls of the museum by the will of criminals is not new: previous kidnapping was in 1978. In 1980, had been arrested three Egyptians involved in the robbery and subsequently they indicated the location of the picture somewhere in Kuwait. On what kind of punishment suffered detainees were not reported.

Painting size 30 x 30 cm, written in approximately 1886-1887, depicts a bouquet of red poppies in a vase. Van Gogh made it influenced by the work of French artist Adolphe Monticelli (Adolphe Monticelli). Monticelli is a similar picture in the museum collection.

Museum, exhibiting a collection of Egyptian politics 1930-40-ies of Mohammed Mahmoud Khalil, contains works by Van Gogh, Monet, Gauguin, Renoir, and is one of the most important museums of modern art in Egypt.

Material prepared Maria Onuchina, AI

Sources: guardian.co.uk , breitbart.com , artinvestment.ru