Stolen Matisse Uncovered After 25 Years

A Henri Matisse painting has been recovered that was stolen from Stockholm museum 25 years ago.

MSN reported that the painting, "Le Jardin" is valued at $916,200 and was discovered by Christopher Marinello who is an art recovery specialist. He works at the Art Loss Register (ALR) in London.

The painting was stolen from the Moderna Museet in Stockholm when a thief came into the museum at night, using a sledgehammer.

"It is fantastic that the painting has turned up again," said Kristin Ek, spokeswoman for the Moderna Museet in Stockholm to MSN. "It was stolen so long ago that really we had almost given up hope."

The theft was reported to ALR which has the world's largest database of stolen artwork and was discovered after an art dealer in Britain used ALR's registry to check up on the painting before selling it. The Huffington Post reported that the painting came back into play when Essex based dealer, Charles Roberts, was offered the piece by a Polish collector.

Ek added to MSN, "We are happy the painting seems to be OK and in good condition. It was a good start to the new year."

There haven't been details of how the art dealer got a hold of the stolen Matissse. The painting is now being returned to the museum through Sweden's ministry of culture.

The museum is still also missing a painting by Georges Braque which was taken in 1993, reports MSN.

Stolen art is a huge worldwide industry and one of increasing concern. MSN reported that "last year, thieves made off with paintings by Picasso, Matisse, Monet and other prominent modern artists from Rotterdam's Kunsthal museum worth tens of millions of dollars."