21/08/2001

BBC news reported on the 9^th August that thieves in Madrid have stolen more than 20 paintings from the house of Spain’s richest businesswoman, Esther Koplowitz. Among the works stolen are The Donkey's Fall and The Swing, by Spanish artist Francisco Goya, Eragny landscape by Camille Pissarro and The temptation of St Anthony by Pieter Brueghel. The owner, Esther Koplowitz, was listed as the world’s 382nd richest person in 1999 with assets valued at $ 1.3 billion (€ 1.45 billion). Last year she resigned as deputy chairperson of Spain's biggest construction company Fomento de Construcciones & Contratas SA (FCC), although she remains a major shareholder. She now serves as a board member of Viviendi Universal and Viviendi Environment and last year was an art selector in the Spanish section for the UBS Warburg art award 2000. (Andrew Moore)