Picasso, Rousseau works stolen from private collection in France

Picasso, Rousseau works stolen in France

MARSEILLE, France — About 30 works of art, including paintings by Pablo Picasso and Henri Rousseau, have been stolen from the home of a private collector in southern France, police said Saturday.

The theft was carried out while the owners were on vacation abroad, said the police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of department policy. The break-in was discovered by a caretaker at the home in La Cadiere-d’Azur, a medieval Provencal village surrounded by vineyards and olive trees.

The value of the stolen art is still unclear, as the owners, returning home this weekend, are preparing to take an inventory, the official said.

An investigation is being carried out by officials in nearby Marseilles as well as by France’s Central Office for the Fight against Traffic in Cultural Goods.

The theft comes days after a drawing by Impressionist Edgar Degas worth euro800,000 ($1.15 million) was stolen from the Cantini Museum in the city of Marseilles. The theft of “Les Choristes,” (or “The Chorus Singers”), was discovered when the museum opened Thursday.