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STOCKHOLM, Sept 17 (AFP) - A painting by French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir entitled "Young Parisian", which was stolen in Sweden five years ago, has been found in the United States, the Swedish police announced Saturday.
"It was recovered two or three months ago," police spokesman Bjorn Engstrom told AFP, adding that it was expected to be brought back next week to Stockholm, where it was stolen from the National Museum.
It was not revealed how US police in Los Angeles found "Young Parisian". The discovery was not immediately announced until the authenticity of the work had been verified, the Swedish press said Saturday.
The Renoir painting was taken in a spectacular heist on December 22, 2000, along with another Renoir work, "Conversation", and a self-portrait by the 17th-century Dutch master Rembrandt.
The Rembrandt work, valued at some 225 Danish kroner (37 million dollars, 30.2 million euros), has also been recently recovered and has led to the arrest of four people suspected of dealing in stolen goods, police said on Friday.
Renoir's "Conversation" was recovered in Stockholm in April 2001, by chance, during a drug investigation.
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AFPEntertainment-Sweden-US-art-crime
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