BERLIN - Thieves stole works by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and others from a Berlin gallery over the New Year's holiday.
More than 30 works - worth an estimated US$250,000 - were taken sometime between Wednesday afternoon and lunchtime Thursday.
Police spokeswoman Claudia Schweiger says the artworks were taken from the Fasanengalerie, a private gallery near western Berlin's central shopping district.
The etchings, prints and sculptures included `Profil au fond noir,' a 1947 work by Picasso; `Nude in a rocking chair,' a Matisse print from 1913; and `Le Boupeut,' a 1962 colour print by Georges Braque.
Police say the gallery's owner discovered the loss New Year's Day, having found signs the door had been pried open.
Police say its likely two or more people were involved in the theft, given the number of works stolen and the weight of the sculptures that were also taken.
