Klimt theft in Piacenza, two 66-year-old local men confess. "We stole it, returned it to make a gift to the city."

Two 66-year-old men from Emilia confessed to the Piacenza daily Libertà to the theft of Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of a Lady, which was stolen from the Ricci Oddi Gallery in Piacenza in 1997 and found last December in a niche in the museum’s garden by some workers intent on maintaining the space. Receiving the phone call from the alleged perpetrators of the theft last week was journalist Ermanno Mariani of Libertà, who had been on the painting’s trail for years and has also written a book on the affair.

Mariani is reported to have received a letter, written by two local gangsters convicted a few weeks ago in the Supreme Court for thefts carried out between 2013 and 2014 in homes and businesses in the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Lodi, and Cremona, all carried out already knowing what they would find on the premises (the gang used to loot valuable paintings and sculptures and precious jewelry). According to the letter’s account, the two 66-year-olds would have wanted to return the Klimt painting “to make a gift to the city.”

Investigators are currently analyzing the matter to understand how reliable the account leaking from the missive is. Prosecutor Ornella Chicca, heading a team of investigators, is coordinating the investigation that will shed light on the case. The two 66-year-olds have been questioned (the outcome is not yet known as it is covered by attorney-client privilege), but at the moment it is known that the lawyer of one of the two, who were arrested for the 2013-2014 thefts, pointed out that the discovery of the painting took place a few days before the Supreme Court handed down the two convictions against them (it is speculated that the return was an attempt to request clemency).

In addition, a few hours ago, again the daily newspaper Libertà revealed that in 2015 the Banca di Piacenza allegedly paid a hefty reward to a Piacenza citizen to initiate negotiations aimed at returning the painting to the Ricci Oddi Gallery. This was confirmed by the honorary president of the Banca di Piacenza, Corrado Sforza Fogliani, who said, “the bank gave a sum to facilitate the return of the painting.” At the moment, however, the amount of the sum is not known (it would be in the thousands of euros), nor is it known whether there is any connection between the reward and the find.

Pictured: Gustav Klimt, Portrait of a Lady (1916-1918; oil on canvas, 68 x 55 cm; Piacenza, Ricci Oddi Gallery)

Klimt theft in Piacenza, two 66-year-old local men confess. "We stole it, returned it to make a gift to the city."

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.