Portinari painting stolen from Brazil museum

[July 16, 2010]  SAO PAULO (AP) -- Police say a painting by Candido Portinari, one of Brazil's best-known painters, has been stolen from a museum.

Inspector Manoel Martins says the 1959 painting "O Enterro," or "The Burial," is worth about 1.5 million reals ($850,000).

Guards noticed it missing Wednesday from the Contemporary Art Museum in the northeastern city of Olinda.

Martins said Thursday that police have no suspects.

The museum, which has no internal security cameras, houses some 4,000 works of art including seven by Portinari.

[Associated Press]

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