Stolen art recovered in Poland after it went missing during 2022 evacuation from Kyiv
Source: PAP
In a major investigative breakthrough, 11 works of contemporary art by famous contemporary artists have been recovered in Poland after they were stolen during their evacuation from Kyiv to Switzerland in 2022.
The collection includes works by world-renowned artists Damien Hirst, Banksy, Takashi Murakami, Linda McCartney, and Xinyi Shi, with a total estimated value exceeding $186,600.
Malgożata Tacuch-Kurasewicz, a prosecutor from the District Prosecutor’s Office in Przemyśl, revealed that the artworks—ten paintings and one photograph—were stolen during a robbery on the night of March 25, 2022, in Przemyśl as they were en route to Switzerland following the Russian invasion.
“On December 9, 2024, we achieved a significant breakthrough in the investigation. After nearly three years, these important contemporary artworks were recovered,” said Tacuch-Kurasewicz . By December 11, international art experts had confirmed the authenticity of the recovered masterpieces.
The operation was led by Przemyśl District Prosecutor’s Office, the Provincial Police Command in Rzeszów, and representatives of the art’s owning company. Their investigation also got support from Ukraine’s General Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine and th National Police of Ukraine.
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