Unknown called the police of the Italian city of Piacenza and said that over 150 thousand euros ready to tell me where is the "portrait of a woman" by Gustav Klimt, stolen from a gallery in Piacenza in 1997

Unknown called to the police station in Piacenza, Northern Italy and said he was ready to reveal the whereabouts of the paintings by Gustav Klimt stolen in 1997. Anonymous, this long ago "retired" art thief, willing to do it for 150 thousand Euro@

"Female portrait" (1916-1917), which refers to a series of late female portraits by Klimt, was stolen from the gallery of modern art Ricci-Oddi in Piacenza in February 1997. The theft coincided with the repair work, when many of the paintings were temporarily removed from exposure, and the alarm worked only partially. Then the police are unable to establish how the thieves managed to do it: whether they entered through the main entrance or the painting was stolen through the window in the roof with a hook and fishing line or something like that. There was only a frame with a partial fingerprint paliza@

After 17 years of silence, 2014 police reopen this case. Analysis technologies have become more sophisticated, and have the opportunity to obtain data on the DNA fingerprint of this. And now one of the people associated with this case, he called the police. Maybe he decided to get ahead of the investigation, that his identity was not raskryta@

Carabinieri refused to pay 150 thousand Euro to purchase. However, urban art institutions reported that they are willing collectively to collect the necessary for the return of a masterpiece Summa@

this kind of theft of works of art — with the aim of further ransom — becomes more and more popular in the criminal world. Most of the stolen masterpieces are recognizable brand, sell them the legal way is virtually impossible. In March of this year unknown persons have demanded 100 thousand Euro from the Vatican for the return of stolen 20 years ago of the manuscripts Michelangelo. Further, in April it became known that Bruxellois baths Buren seriously considering the possibility of paying a ransom to the robbers for the return of stolen in 2013, paintings of Kees van Dongen, James Ensor, Pieter Brueghel the Younger, Adriaen Brouwer and Dr@

"This happens more and more often, says Belgian art expert Jacques lust (Jacques Lust). — Of course, not all the details are in the media. If the case is resolved, no one will know how much I had to pay for it, sometimes not even disclosed the fact that the papers were stolen. But such cases more and more".

Sources: artnet.com, artinvestment.ru