Oxford art theft

Commentators said that the audacious crime, committed while revellers were welcoming the 21st century, mirrored the fantastic plot of a crime novel.

And when news broke yesterday that the painting had been found in a Coventry pub, the plot changed from thriller to farce. The Coventry painting turned out to be a copy.

Like Tom Cruise in the movie Mission Impossible, the thief needed nerves of steel as he broke in through the roof, lowered a rope ladder and then set off a smoke bomb to cover his tracks after stealing the painting. Some pointed to Hollywood movies such as Entrapment, starring Catherine Zeta Jones and Sean Connery as glamorous art thieves.

This movie, and thrillers such as The Thomas Crown Affair, starring Bond actor Pierce Brosnan, were perhaps the motivation behind the Ashmolean break-in.

But as the dust settles and the world-famous museum's 130 staff try to return to normal, security is undergoing a searching review.

Thames Valley Police have brought in Det Supt Steve Morrison, an officer with an excellent success rate in solving horrific murders.

For now, he remains tight-lipped about exactly how he will go about trying to restore Cezanne's View of Auvers-sur-Oise to its rightful place in the Hindley Smith Gallery. But museum bosses are delighted with the police response and say they are 'hopeful and optimistic that Supt Morrison's investigation will lead to the speedy return of the work of art.

Sarah Brown, spokesman for the Ashmolean, says the stolen canvas, which measures 16in by 22in, was painted by Cezanne between 1879 and 1882. It has now been replaced by Corot's oil painting Le Petit Chaville.

And she stresses that though 130 permanent staff and 70 volunteers were stunned and saddened by the theft, it is now 'business as usual' at the museum.

"This was a terribly selfish theft," she says, "but we have been pleased by the expressions of sympathy we have received from members of the public. "We are optimistic that the police will do an excellent job and we are now in their hands."

She adds: "Thefts from museums are extremely rare. Usually these crimes are committed by someone posing as a visitor who manages to evade the security cameras.

"Whoever did this was either very professional - or very lucky. The crime took place at the height of the New Year revels and this is partly why it has captured the public's imagination."

She admits that wherever there is scaffolding on a building there is the potential for a break-in. But she insists: "Security is tight and we have been careful to prevent access." Ms Brown reveals that she has fielded media inquiries from around the globe about the theft.

But she refuses to be irked by speculation about the crime, and insists: "We are a very efficient museum and we believe we have handled this well.

"Losing the painting was a tremendous blow, but we now have to get on with running the museum."

Jim Hill is a former detective constable with Thames Valley Police, and worked as their antiques officer for 12 years until 1995.

He now works in police liaison for Trace magazine, which links with police forces across Britain. It has compiled a database of more than 100,000 stolen artworks and antiques. Auction houses can use the Trace directory to check whether artworks going under the hammer have been stolen. Stolen works are also listed on the art loss register, which contains 14,000 items.

"The Cezanne will be circulated on both databases," says Mr Hill, "because the more widely the image is seen, the better. "This will decrease its sale value because it will be so easily recognisable and therefore much harder to sell.

"No self-respecting art lover would buy it because they would want to display it and under the circumstances that wouldn't be wise.

He adds: "I was stunned by the theft because I thought the Ashmolean was fireproof. You can bet that security there will be second to none after this incident. "This crime was carried out by an individual for the sake of bravado. Whoever did this has been cunning and clever, but I would not describe the thief as a professional or an expert.

"I believe the Cezanne will be recovered. In the meantime, the theft will attract many more visitors to the Ashmolean, because not everyone realises that these priceless works of art are on their doorstep.

"Other museums have been broken into in the past, but it's fair to say that the Ashmolean is now well and truly on the map."

Story date: Friday 14 January

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.