Do you know the story of the stolen paintings of the Museum of Modern Art in Paris? This news itemtold by the thief himself in the documentary Vjeran Tomic: The Spider-Man of Parishad hit the headlines in 2010. On the occasion of the release of the documentary on Netflix, a look back at the spectacular heist
organized by the burglar of art objects and luxury jewelry, Vjeran Tomic.
A heist worthy of the series Lupine
It is the night of May 19 to 20, 2010, around 3:30 a.m. At the Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris, located in the 16th arrondissement of the capital, an unknown person manages to enter the east wing of the Palais de Tokyo.
In only 17 minutesthe man breaks the padlock of a metal curtain and reaches the ground floor, where are located numerous exceptional works of art. Escaping all security systems, he lands five paintings: The Pigeon with Peas of Pablo Picasso, The Olivier near l’Estaque of Georges Braque, The Woman with the Fan ofAmedeo Modigliani, Still life with candlestick of Fernand Léger And The Pastoral ofHenri Matisse. This theft was not noticed until 5:50 a.m., during the third round of security agents.
But how could he have committed this theft without being detected? The security system of the museum, failing for two months, was unable to notice and report his presence within the building. The burglar undoubtedly knew of this faultand therefore decided to steal these paintings, not insured against theft. At the scene of the burglary, the man left only the five frames, undoubtedly too large to be transported in the trunk of his red Renault Espace.
But where can this loot be found, estimated at more than 100 million euros ?
Vjeran Tomic, the main suspect
The fight against theft and concealment of works of art is one of the main priorities of the Brigade for the Repression of Banditry (BRB). Indeed, several paintings have been stolen in recent decades, as evidenced by the burglaries in the Isabelle Stewart Gardner Museum of Boston (1990), in the Van Gogh Museum of Amsterdam (1991) or that of Munch Museum in Oslo (2004).
After months of investigation and a “tip” from an anonymous source, the BRB wiretapped a certain Vjeran Tomic, declaring that he had in his possession 5 works of art which he was ready to get rid of. Nicknamed the “Spider Man“in the world of organized crime and through the press, Vjeran is a agile, intelligent burglar And skillful. Known to the Paris Judicial Police services for theft of jewelry and works of artwith armed Or breaking inthe 49-year-old man does not hesitate to grip the surfaces on the roofs of upscale buildings in western Paris, but also to create his own tools to reach his trophies.
Since 1999, the repeat burglar made several stays in prison. After comparing the operating modes, the man becomes one of the main suspects in the case. But Vjeran, who lives at night and very discreetly, is difficult to capture.
Accused… but no table
May 13, 2011, Vjeran stopped after committing yet another burglary of jewelry and works of art. Questioned about his crimesVrejan gives in to pressure And admits to having stolen the previous year the paintings from the Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris. Following the search of his home, four paintings stolen from another museumbut also jewelry and his burglary accessorieswill be found.
To carry out this stunt, he declares having spent six nights in a row outside the Museum, dressed as a glazier, to dismantle the window and observe the padlock. Vjeran claims to have sold for 40,000 euros all of these works to his friend receiver, Jean-Michel Corvez, an antiques dealer known for selling stolen art objects. The latter would have entrusted them to Jonathan Birnmanager of a watchmaking company in Paris and friend of Vrejan, who will reveal having destroyed and thrown away all the paintings when he learned of the arrest of Jean-Michel Corvez.
On January 30, 2017, the burglar and two accomplices are judged For “flight” And “association of criminals committing organized theft“. Vjeran will receive eight years in prison and a fine of 104 million eurosto be settled with his fellow prisoners, condemned to sentences of six and seven years.
Is this really the case? Aren’t the works in nature? Answer probably one day…
LR