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$250,000 Rembrandt drawing stolen in real-life heist

Alec Jacobs Contributor
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You don’t often hear about a real-life art heist. But a Rembrandt drawing, estimated to be valued at $250,000, was stolen from a Southern California hotel Saturday night, Fox News reports.

The drawing, done in pen and ink and reportedly named “The Judgment,” was on display at the Marina del Rey Ritz-Carlton, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore. (RELATED: Art historian says Mona Lisa model was a man)

The exact time of the heist is unknown, but detectives investigating the theft say the well-orchestrated robbery was carried out in less than 15 minutes, sometime around 10:20 p.m. The thieves waited to make their move until the curator was distracted by a hotel guest.

“When the curator turned back to the Rembrandt, it was gone,” Whitmore said.

Detectives are currently looking at surveillance tapes from the hotel, which are unlikely to be made public. The detectives are also working closely with hotel security officials.

Despite Whitmore calling the heist “well-thought-out” and “well-executed,” the sheriff’s office thinks it’ll solve the case.

“The Ritz-Carlton has some of the best hotel security in the nation,” Whitmore explained. “We’re confident that our leads, and the surveillance video will help us solve this.”

The rare Rembrandt drawing was part of an exhibit at the Ritz sponsored by San Francisco’s Linearis Institute.

Alec Jacobs