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Charges brought against alleged Kuindzhi painting thief

The painting titled "Ai-Petri. Crimea" by Arkhip Kuindzhi was stolen from the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow on January 27

Denis Chuprikov Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs/TASS

Denis Chuprikov

© Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs/TASS

MOSCOW, January 29. /TASS/. Charges of stealing Arkhip Kuindzhi’s painting from Moscow’s State Tretyakov Gallery have been brought against Denis Chuprikov, detained hours after the theft, Russian Interior Ministry Spokesperson Irina Volk told TASS.

"Charges have been brought against the suspect in connection with an investigation into the theft of Arkhip Kuindzhi’s painting from an exhibition taking place at one of Moscow’s museums," she said.

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According to Volk, police brought in experts to inspect the painting after it had been recovered. "Police plan to return the work of art to the cultural facility in the near future," she noted.

Meanwhile, a law enforcement source told TASS that the inspection had made it clear the painting was authentic. "There are no signs that it is a fake. It is authentic," the source said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Head of the Russian Culture Ministry’s Museum Department Vladislav Kononov said that experts had no doubt the painting was authentic.

Museum theft

The painting titled "Ai-Petri. Crimea" by Arkhip Kuindzhi was stolen from the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow on January 27. The suspect, Denis Chuprikov, was detained in hot pursuit in the Zarechye settlement, Moscow Region. He said he had hidden the paining at a construction site in the Odintsovo District where it was eventually recovered. Police sources pointed out that the suspect was on bail in connection with a drug passion case. According to preliminary information, the crime was committed for financial gain. Investigators are working to establish the suspect’s possible accomplices.

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Security measures at the State Tretyakov Gallery were stepped up following the incident. Kononov said there were plans to install digital sensors on all paintings in the gallery.

Kuindzhi’s 39 by 53 cm painting in oil on canvas and paper dates back to the 1890s. It comes from the collection of the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg and was brought to Moscow for an exhibition of the artist’s masterpieces.

The painting is the second work of art that disappeared from a Moscow museum in the past week. Earlier reports said that a 16th-century icon was missing from Moscow’s State Historical Museum.

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