Million-dollar painting dumped on the street

A painting stolen 20 years ago then found lying in a pile of rubbish on a New York City street could fetch up to $1m (£488,000) at auction next month.

The 1970 painting Tres Personajes (Three People) by Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo was taken from a warehouse where the owners had placed it while moving.

It was found by Elizabeth Gibson as she took her morning walk four years ago on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

It is now being sold by the widow of the original owner.

Gibson is receiving a reward. From the BBC.

Several years back several paintings of similar merit were taken from a prominent gallery in what appears to have been an inside job by low-level employees. They were reportedly offered for sale at the 26th Street flea market, and I believe most if not all were recovered. Nothing of this hit the papers at the time -- which is pretty typical of most such recoveries in the art and antiques world.

PS Another one of the exceptions that made the headlines: that Romanesque Limoges cross that was saved from the trash in Austria this summer.

Posted by David on October 24, 2007 10:17 AM