Degas painting found on bus
FRANCE: The 1877 monotype ‘‘Les Choristes’’ (The Chorus Singers) by Edgar Degas is distinctive for at least two reasons.
First, the French impressionist depicted dancers so often that this work is the only operatic scene he painted that omits them.
Second, it was stolen in a mysterious December 2009 heist after thieves unscrewed it from the wall one night at Musee Cantini in Marseille, leading investigators to speculate that the theft could be an inside job.
The trail had grown cold over the years, as French customs investigators tried in vain to find the artwork, valued at more than $1 million. Yet on February 16, it was not discovered at a shady auction house or the vault of an art thief, but inside a suitcase in the back of a bus at a highway stop near Paris.
Customs officials were performing a random search of the bus luggage compartment when they found a suitcase containing the work, bursting with vivid hues of orange, yellow and red, depicting chorus singers in the opera ‘‘Don Juan.’’
The bus was parked near Ferrieres-en-Brie, a verdant area about 18 miles east of Paris. None of the passengers claimed the suitcase as their own, according to France’s Ministry of Culture.
A customs spokesperson said the find was not based on a tip, the New York Times reported.
Long-distance buses in many countries, including France are often searched for possible drug transit.
The painting was confirmed authentic by Musee d’Orsay, the museum that originally loaned it to Cantini.
Minister of Culture Francoise Nyssen called its recovery a ‘‘happy rediscovery’’ of the work.
Degas’ work is known as a monotype, or a cross between a painting and engraving. An artist creates an ink composition and brushes it on a metal plate before pressing it, the Culture Ministry said.
The find comes during a serendipitous moment, the ministry notes. Degas died a century ago this past September, and an exhibit featuring the friendship between Degas and the French poet Paul Valery wrapped up at the weekend at Musee D’Orsay.
The monotype will also be featured at a Degas exhibit opening next year.
In 2015, customs intercepted a private yacht in the Mediterranean displaying a painting by Pablo Picasso forbidden from leaving Spain. It was bound for sale in Switzerland, according to a tip. The painting was returned to Spain, Picasso’s home country. -