Man claims controversial painting was stolen
A man claiming to be the grandson of the owner of the painting Naplemente ("Sunset") by famed 19th-century artist Mihály Munkácsy telephoned the police Wednesday morning to state that the painting had been stolen from his grandmother in the past.
Police directed the man to the customs authorities, who will want documentary evidence of his claim. If it is proven that the painting went to the US as stolen goods, then the customs authorities will presumably have to involve US authorities in the investigation, Népszabadság surmises. For the time being the painting is at the National Gallery.
The addressee of the painting, found in a package posted from the US, is János B., owner of a Budapest art gallery. Customs detectives will question him in the next few days.
The above story is just one of more than two dozen published today by Hungary Around the Clock, the most comprehensive source of daily English-language news about Hungary. For a free trial of HATC, click here. Hungarian news sources include Népszabadság; Magyar Hírlap; Világgazdaság; Napi Gazdaság; Magyar Nemzet; Népszava; Kossuth Rádió news and Hungarian television's nightly news broadcast.
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