Stolen Chagall and Picasso artworks resurface in Antwerp after 14-year hunt
The priceless artwork was stolen in February 2010 from a Tel Aviv villa owned by the Herzikovich family
Two priceless artworks by Marc Chagall and Pablo Picasso, stolen 14 years ago, have been discovered in the basement of a building in Antwerp, Belgium, following a covert police operation that spanned several months.
The paintings, identified as a cubist portrait by Picasso known as "Tête" and Chagall's "L'homme en prière," depicting a man in prayer, were stolen in February 2010 from a Tel Aviv villa owned by the Herzikovich family.
At the time of the theft, the artworks were valued at $900,000 (£710,000). The heist also included the theft of jewelry worth $680,000 from a safe, which remains unrecovered.
The breakthrough in the investigation occurred at the end of 2022 when Belgian police received a tipoff that an art dealer in Namur was attempting to sell the stolen paintings. This triggered a covert operation that led investigators to the main suspect, a 68-year-old Israeli luxury watch dealer referred to as "Daniel Z."
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Upon raiding the suspect's home last week, federal police discovered a substantial amount of money but not the sought-after artworks. The suspect, while admitting to possessing the paintings, refused to disclose their location.
Intensive investigations during 2023 revealed that the suspect might have hidden the artworks either at his residence or that of one of his associates. Expanding their search to Antwerp, authorities focused on a building formerly linked to an art dealership involved in past cases of stolen paintings.
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Investigators located two wooden boxes with secured lids containing the stolen artworks. Astonishingly, both paintings were found undamaged and still within their original frames. The main suspect has been charged with receiving the stolen paintings and has been placed under arrest.
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