Krakow art thieves' crime spree continues to net them valuable paintings

Police say a series of robberies in which valuable paintings have been stolen from homes in Krakow is not the work of professional art thieves. So far in February alone, between ten and twenty valuable canvasses have been stolen, among them works by Juliusz and Jerzy Kossak and Maurycy Gottlieb. "There will always be theft. Even so, the majority of people believe that since a painting has been hanging on the wall since the beginning of the century, it will remain there for ever," commented Leszek Gorak from the Krakow police. The robberies follow a similar pattern, with the thieves breaking into the houses through a door or window during the owners' absence, at any time of the day or night. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 4) P.J.