£431million masterpieces stolen from Museum of Modern Art: Paris
(FRANCE - Thursday, 20 May, 2010)

One of the stolen paintings was Picasso's Pigeon with Peas (Photo: Bridgeman Art Library)

Five paintings by Matisse, Picasso and other great artists have been stolen from the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, police sources say.

The paintings are estimated to be worth some 500m euros (£431m; $618m).

They were taken overnight on Wednesday and reported missing early on Thursday, officials say.

Investigators have cordoned off the museum which is across the River Seine from the Eiffel Tower.

Security camera footage reportedly shows someone entering the museum via a window during the night.

Museum officials discovered the theft early on Thursday, when they found a window smashed and a broken padlock which had been cut to gain access to the five paintings.

It is still unclear why the alarm systems did not alert staff earlier, reports the BBC's David Chazan in Paris.

The five missing paintings are said to be:

• Pigeon with Peas by Pablo Picasso
• Pastoral by Henri Matisse
• Woman with a Fan by Amedeo Modigliani
• Still Life with Chandeliers by Fernand Leger
• Olive Tree near Estaque by Georges Braque

Musee d'Art Moderne
Avenue du Président Wilson
Centre Georges Pompidou
75116 Paris
FRANCE