A statue by French sculptor Auguste Rodin was stolen from the Israel Museum during the facility’s recently completed renovation, the museum said March 9.
The nude bronze of French novelist Honore de Balzac was one of a series of studies Rodin cast for a monument to Balzac on display in Paris. It was molded in 1892 and cast posthumously between 1918 and 1926. The statue was donated to the museum in 1966 by the American Jewish impresario and lyricist Billy Rose.
According to the Art Loss Register, which specializes in recovering stolen art, the statue is worth approximately $350,000, but an expert worried that it might be sold for scrap.
The museum said the theft was discovered three months ago and immediately reported to police. Police said an investigation is in progress but would provide no further details. — ap