Stolen paintings recovered from sale at city auctioneers

Wooded Landscape With Figures, by French artist Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, was spotted for sale in the Lyon & Turnbull catalogue in November by one of the senior curators for Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow.

Lothian and Borders Police investigated and removed the painting from the auctioneers, who told police they had also sold a landscape by post-impressionist painter Samuel Peploe, which had been put up for sale from the same source, who has not yet been named.

The Peploe, which had been bought by Ewan Mundy Gallery in Glasgow, was seized by Strathclyde Police on December 21.

It has been reported that police also investigated at the home of the source and discovered a work by Italian Renaissance painter Federico Barocci, which was retrieved on Friday.

However, a spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police was unable to confirm this today. The stolen paintings are being held by Glasgow Museums.

The spokesman confirmed that two paintings had been recovered and said enquiries were ongoing.

The investigation follows allegations made 15 years ago that art from Glasgow's publicly-funded galleries and museums was being sold on the black market.

A confidential 1996 auditors' report into Kelvingrove Art Galleries, the Museum of Transport and Maryhill stores revealed concerns over alleged thefts from the museums and said arrangements for recording artefacts and their locations were unsatisfactory.

Glasgow City Council launched an inquiry after an anonymous letter claimed paintings were "being taken by at least one member of staff and sold on the black market" in an operation going on for "at least the past six years".

A spokesman for Glasgow Life, the agency which runs the city's museums, libraries and leisure centres, praised the curator for spotting the painting and said it would continue to work with police.