Officials Say Rembrandt Theft Was Carefully Orchestrated
MARINA DEL REY (CBS) — Authorities are looking for a thief who stole a Rembrandt drawing from the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Marina del Rey Saturday night.
"The Judgment," a small pen-and-ink drawing valued at $250,000, was taken by a man who was apparently working with several accomplices.
The artwork, which was dated circa 1655, was on display for potential buyers at an event organized by the Linearis Institute of San Francisco.
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KNX 1070's Pete Demetriou reports.
After reviewing security video from the hotel, sheriff's detectives say the theft was carefully orchestrated.
The drawing was taken during a fifteen-minute period when the curator turned away from the lithograph.
"The frame itself was huge. For someone to walk out with it would be unbelievable," hotel guest Kathleen Anderson told CBS2.
Experts say Rembrandt's art is often targeted by thieves, as there have been 81 documented thefts of the Dutch master's work in the past 100 years.
In most cases, the stolen art was recovered after thieves were caught or voluntarily returned the items.
Officials say they have no immediate plans to release security video from the hotel, but they are working on a sketch of the suspect.
