The National Security Service and the Investigation Committee of Armenia report they have detained two Yerevan residents who attempted to sell paintings stolen from the National Gallery.

The pieces in question were painted by world-renowned artist Isaac Levitan and Dutch painter Matthias Brasau.

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Going, going, gone

The two detainees were trying to sell a painting by Dutch painter Matthias Brasau “Hunter”, stolen in 1984, for 60,000 USD.

A piece by Russian landscape artist Isaac Levitan, Spring Landscape, stolen in 1992, was going to go for even more. There was no specific agreement with the buyer on the etude of Levitan, but the detainees were aware that his work at auctions has gone for more than a million pounds.

Investigation details

Back in 2012, 10 valuable paintings were stolen from the National Gallery of Armenia. However, the perpetrators were never found.

“In the spring of 2019, the National Security Service received information that two residents of Yerevan were linked to the whereabouts of the two objects stolen in this criminal case and intend to sell them,” investigator Gor Ohanian said.

On June 13, 2019, after concluding a deal with the buyer, two people were arrested: one person who allegedly ‘owned’ the paintings and an intermediary.

The investigation continues, and it is still unclear whether they themselves stole the paintings or received them in another way.

The paintings will soon be returned to their home in the National Gallery.