April 28, 2003

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Stolen art found near toilet

Three paintings by Van Gogh, Picasso and Gauguin, stolen from a UK city centre gallery, have been found behind a public toilet.
The pieces, worth an estimated ?1m, were reported missing from the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester on Sunday.
The masterpieces - Van Gogh's The Fortification of Paris with Houses, Picasso's Poverty and Gauguin's Tahitian Landscape - were found in a tube behind a public toilet near the gallery.
Greater Manchester Police said that an anonymous tip-off at about 0200 BST on Monday led them to the paintings.
They have been returned to the gallery to protect them from further damage and were due to be examined by experts.
The works of art went missing after 2100 BST on Saturday in what police described as a "well-planned" theft.
The gallery, which houses art classed as of national significance by the government, was closed after the raid.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/