HOODED THIEF STEALS FIVE MASTERPIECES WORTH $613 MILLION FROM FRENCH MUSEUM

A HOODED THIEF HAS STOLEN FIVE HISTORIC MASTERPIECES, INCLUDING A PICASSO AND A MATISSE IN A DARING DAWN RAID FROM THE PARIS MUSEUM OF MODERN ART TODAY. THE INCREDIBLE ART THEFT IS SET TO BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST CRIMES IN THE ART WORLD. A LONE THIEF DISGUISED IN A HOOD WAS CAPTURED ON THE MUSEUM'S CCTV CAMERAS LEAPING THROUGH A BROKEN WINDOW, THE PARIS PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE SAID. IT IS NOT YET CLEAR IF HE WAS WORKING ALONE OR WITH OTHER PEOPLE. 'HE WAS HEAVILY DISGUISED WITH A HOOD AND FACE COVERING', SAID AN OFFICER AT THE SCENE. AN OFFICIAL SAID THE PAINTINGS WERE BY PABLO PICASSO, HENRI MATISSE, GEORGE BRAQUE, AMEDEO MODIGLIANI AND FERNAND LEGER. PICASSO'S 'DOVE WITH GREEN PEAS' AND MATISSE'S 'PASTORAL' WERE AMONG THE MASTERPIECES TAKEN. THE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE INITIALLY ESTIMATED THE FIVE PAINTINGS' TOTAL WORTH AT AS MUSH AS $613 MILLION. HOWEVER, THE MUSEUM ITSELF HAS SINCE DOWNGRADED THAT ESTIMATE. EXPERTS MAINTAINED THE PAINTINGS WOULD BE WORTH MILLIONS AT AUCTION. EXPERTS IN FRANCE SAID THEY WOULD BE 'IMPOSSIBLE TO SELL' ON THE OPEN MARKET. 'THE USUAL SCENARIO IS THAT THESE THINGS ARE STOLEN TO ORDER FOR PRIVATE COLLECTORS. THEY ARE DIFFICULT TO VALUE BUT THE PRICE IS ENORMOUS.' 'IT'S AN ENORMOUS CRIME, ONE OF THE BIGGEST IN ART HISTORY', SAID A SOURCE CLOSE TO THE INVESTIGATION. POLICE HAVE CORDONED OFF THE MUSEUM, ACROSS FROM THE SEINE RIVER. SENSORS SUGGESTED THAT A REINFORCED GLASS WINDOW WAS SMASHED AT 6.05am. A BROKEN LOCK WAS ALSO FOUND AT THE SCENE. THE DIRECTOR OF THE NEIGHBORING MODERN ART MUSEUM PALAIS DE TOKYO, PIERRE CORNETTE DE SAINT-CYR, CALLED THE THIEF OR THIEVES 'FOOLS'. 'YOU CAN NOT DO ANYTHING WITH THESE PAINTINGS. ALL COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD ARE AWARE, AND NO COLLECTOR IS STUPID ENOUGH TO BUY A PAINTING THAT, ONE, CAN'T SHOW TO OTHER COLLECTORS. AND TWO, RISKS SENDING HIM TO PRISON', HE SAID IN AN INTERVIEW ON LCI TELEVISION. 'THESE FIVE PAINTINGS ARE UN-SELLABLE, SO THIEVES, SIRS, YOU ARE IMBECILES, NOW RETURN THEM', HE SAID. PICASSO IS THE MOST STOLEN ARTIST IN THE WORLD BECAUSE OF HIS PROLIFIC OUTPUT, RECOGNIZABLE SIGNATURE AND VALUABLE WORKS. THERE ARE MORE THAN 500 MISSING PICASSOS ON THE LONDON BASED ART LOSS REGISTER OF STOLEN ART. THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART IN PARIS, WHICH IS DEDICATED TO 20th CENTURY ART, IS ONE OF THE MOST HIGHLY SECURE IN THE WORLD. IT WAS INAUGURATED IN 1961 AND CONTAINS AROUND 8,000 WORKS, ALL ILLUSTRATING VARIOUS ART WORLD TRENDS. PARIS MAYOR BERTRAND DELANOE SAID IN A STATEMENT THAT HE WAS 'SADDENED AND SHOCKED BY THIS THEFT, WHICH IS AN INTOLERABLE ATTACK ON PARIS' UNIVERSAL CULTURAL HERITAGE.'