November 13, 2006

Stolen: Goya's Guggenheim-bound 'Children With Cart'

Francisco de Goya's "Children With Cart," has been stolen on its way to the Guggenheim Museum from Ohio's Toledo Museum of Art, the New York Sun reports tonight in a completely unsourced story on its website.

The painting, valued at $1.1 million, went missing near Scranton, Penn, the Sun said. It was coming to New York for the Friday opening of "Spanish Painting from El Greco to Picasso: Time, Truth, and History" which is scheduled through March 28 at the Guggenheim.

Update: The New York Times this morning reports, in a story attributed to a statement from both museums, that the Goya disappeared last week near Scranton while in the care of a professional art transporter. The FBI said it is investigating the theft but is releasing few details in hopes of better vetting any tips. If it's not found, more details of the crime will be released, an FBI spokesperson told the Times.

Update II: The Post is now quoting an FBI spokeswoman who said the Goya was stolen November 7 when the professional art movers' vehicle was broken into while parked near an interstate highway outside Scranton, Pa. Previously, the painting was stolen in 1869 from the Royal Palace of El Prado, in Madrid.

Update III: The feds now think the thieves knew "detailed shipping information" before they broke into the unguarded, unmarked truck parked in an unsecured parking lot outside a Howard Johnsons, according to the New York Times.

November 13, 2006 09:24 PM in Museums, Sightsology, Upper East Side

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