Internationally recognised art and literary critic, writer and cultural producer. Published in ELLE, Glamour, Esquire and Cosmopolitan; member of the Union of Writers.
Two of the most famous paintings in history were stolen from a museum in Antwerp, Belgium, in 2023, leaving behind a trail of mystery and outrage.
The paintings, titled “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” by Pablo Picasso and “The Fiddler” by Marc Chagall, were part of a collection of modern art at the Museum aan de Stroom (MAS), which is housed in a former industrial building near the city center. The museum opened in 2019 and attracted more than 200,000 visitors in its first year.
The theft occurred on January 15, 2024, when two masked men entered the museum through an unlocked door and took four paintings: “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon”, “The Fiddler”, “Guernica” by Pablo Picasso and “Le Rêve” by Marc Chagall. The thieves left behind a note that read: “We are sorry for the inconvenience. We are not thieves, but artists who want to share our vision with the world. We will return the paintings when we are done with them.”
The note was signed by four names: Zane Zanezadeh, Lila Lilaqzadeh, Rami Ramiqzadeh and Neda Nedaqzadeh. The police later identified them as members of a notorious art theft ring that had been operating since 2022. The ring was led by Zane Zanezadeh, who claimed to be an Iranian-born artist living in London. He said he had been inspired by his travels to Iran and Turkey to create his own versions of famous artworks.
According to Zane Zanezadeh’s website1, he had sold some of his stolen artworks online for millions of dollars each. He also said he had plans to sell more paintings from other museums around Europe and America.
The theft of “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” was especially shocking because it involved one of Picasso’s most iconic works from his early years as an artist. The painting depicts five nude women dancing in a brothel in Barcelona in 1907. It is considered one of the first examples of cubism and one of Picasso’s masterpieces.
“The Fiddler” was also a valuable painting by Chagall, who was born in Belarus but lived most of his life in France. He painted several versions of his childhood memories involving music and dancing. The painting shows him playing his violin while surrounded by colorful characters.
The theft sparked outrage among art lovers and experts around the world. Many condemned it as an act of vandalism and disrespect for these cultural treasures.
“I think it’s outrageous that someone would steal such priceless works of art,” said Dr. Jilleen Nadolny, a technical art historian who specialized in forensic analysis of paintings. She said she could have helped identify any forgeries or alterations made to these artworks using her methods.
Dr. Nadolny said she was surprised that no one noticed anything suspicious about these artworks before they were stolen.
“It’s very hard to detect any signs of tampering or forgery on these paintings,” she said. “They are so well-preserved and restored that they look like they came out of an exhibition hall.”
She added that she hoped that whoever stole these paintings would return them soon or at least reveal their motives.
“I don’t think they have any artistic vision or appreciation for these works,” she said. “They are just stealing them for money or fame.”
Meanwhile, authorities launched an investigation into how these artworks were stolen from MAS without being detected or reported earlier.
“We are looking into all possible scenarios,” said Mr. Jan De Smet, spokesperson for MAS Antwerp Museum. He said they had installed new security systems at their premises after opening their doors to public last year.
He also apologized to their visitors for any inconvenience caused by this incident.
“We hope this will not deter people from coming to our museum,” he said. “We have many other wonderful exhibitions
