PARIS -- French officials have found two Picasso paintings which were stolen from the Paris home of the Spanish painter's granddaughter in February, French daily Le Figaro said on Tuesday, adding the thieves had been arrested.
French police arrested three people on Tuesday in possession of three works by Pablo Picasso, including "Maya with Doll" seen here in this handout from the Picasso family, stolen from the Paris flat of the artist's granddaughter as she lay sleeping back in February. [AFP]
Police discovered the pictures of the artist's daughter Maya and his second wife Jacqueline, together valued at 50 million euros ( million), in Paris on Tuesday, the daily said on its Web site.
A police source confirmed that stolen Picasso paintings had been found in Paris but did not give further details.
Le Figaro said the thieves, who were known to police for previous cases of art theft, had taken the paintings from their frames and rolled them up.
The paintings, identified as "Maya a la poupee" (Maya with doll) from 1938 and "Portrait de femme, Jacqueline" from 1961, were stolen in February from the house of Diana Widmaier Picasso, Maya's daughter, while she and a friend were sleeping.
Officials on Tuesday also found a drawing by Picasso that had been stolen in February, Le Figaro said.
"The paintings are coming back to the Picasso family," the newspaper quoted a lawyer of Widmaier Picasso as saying.
Picasso, who spent much of his life in France, died in 1973. His works are rated among the world's most expensive.
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