Pair of Masterworks Stolen by Con Artist Returned to Italian Galleries


An Israeli con man, posing as a rabbi, swiped the Renoir and Rubens paintings in April 2017.

Priceless artworks from two renowned painters have been returned to their rightful place on Italian gallery walls.

The paintings — “Holy family,” by 18th century French painter Pierre-August Renoir and “Girls on the lawn,” by 16th century Belgian artist Peter Paul Rubens — were swiped by an Israeli con man posing as a rabbi in April 2017, The Local reports.

Following an exhaustive 17-month investigation, Monza police recovered the artworks and returned them to Northern Italy in late July.

The paintings, worth millions, can be seen below:

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