Rodin sculpture stolen from Buenos Aires museum
May 31, 2003, 15:00
| A small sculpture by revered French master Auguste Rodin was stolen from a Buenos Aires fine arts museum. Police say they have few leads on the theft. The 16 cm sculpture, La Main de Dieu (The Hand of God) depicts a hand cradling a small body and is worth up to $150,000, according to Argentine media. "We don't talk about prices, it was of huge artistic worth. This is a disaster," Jorge Glusberg, the museum's director, said. Rodin, who was born in 1840 and died in 1917, is widely considered the father of modern sculpture. Police said it was a mystery how the piece was stolen, but the robbery came amid a deep economic crisis in Argentina that has sent crime soaring. Statues and monuments have been stripped of bronze plaques across the capital by thieves who recycle the metal as scrap. There are no suspects yet as police are still unsure on how the robbery was committed. The Museo de Bellas Artes, which is in the exclusive Recoleta neighborhood of the capital, houses around 30 Rodin works, including a plaster version of his celebrated work, The Kiss. - Reuters |