Warhol, Lichtenstein Works Stolen in Apartment Heist - AOL News

A sophisticated thief made off with $750,000 worth of iconic artworks by Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, along with pricey jewelry and watches, by breaking through a wall to strike a highly secure Manhattan apartment.

New York Police believe the heist took place around Thanksgiving when the owner, art collector and beef industry heir Robert Romanoff, was away from his apartment in the trendy meatpacking district, The Associated Press reported.

There was no public word on the theft until Thursday, when police sought the public's help by releasing images of the boosted art.

New York City Police Department / AP

A print of Roy Lichtenstein's "Thinking Nude" was stolen from the Manhattan apartment of art collector and beef industry heir Robert Romanoff.

"An unknown suspect broke through a hallway wall into the apartment and removed artwork, watches and other jewelry. A video recorder attached to surveillance cameras inside the apartment also was taken," police said in a statement, Reuters reported.

The stolen works are Warhol's "Superman," "The Truck" and the eight-piece signed set of prints called "Camouflage," the Lichtenstein prints titled, "Thinking Nude" and "Moonscape," and a Carl Fudge oil painting, "Live Cat."

Along with stolen Rolex and Cartier watches and jewelry, the take was worth about $750,000 according to media reports.

New York City Police Department / AP

Andy Warhol's "Superman" was stolen during the Thanksgiving holiday heist.

The thief or thieves bypassed several security measures to get into the five-story building, with just one elevator that is key-operated elevator, the New York Post reported.

The building has a nightclub in the basement, a cafe on the first floor and a restaurant on the second flood. A key is required to get out of the elevator at the third-floor apartment of Romanoff, 49, the Post said. A staircase does not extend to the third floor, making it a mystery how thieves got to the art.

Romanoff is part of a beef empire that began as a store opened by his Russian immigrant relatives in 1905. He's president of Nebraska Meat Corp. of New Jersey, one of the nation's largest distributors of smoked meat, AP said.

Warhol's "Camouflage" prints were done in 1986, a year before he died, AP said, and Lichtenstein created "Thinking Nude" in 1994, three years before he died.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php
Five Filters featured site: So, Why is Wikileaks a Good Thing Again?.

Source: "Jewelry Industry" via Glen in Google Reader