The hopeless art of stealing paintings

According to informed sources in the London insurance industry, the robbery on Sunday of paintings by Monet, Degas, Van Gogh and Cezanne from the Emil Buhrle Foundation in Zurich was carried out by Albanian criminals. Three armed men entered the gallery, took the four works and drove away in a white car with the paintings hanging out of the boot. There have been no arrests.

Although security in the gallery is said to be tough and visitors are known to be followed by plain-clothed security staff as they proceed around the rooms, there is little you can do against armed men.

The fact that the four paintings