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An exhibition of some 100 works of art looted from Italian collectors and museums will open on Saturday after a major international police operation to return them to Rome.
"Stolen art, the return" will take place at the Palazzo Incontro, a palace at the centre of the historic city which has just undergone several years of renovation.
"The free exhibition will present some very valuable artworks, many of which belong to private collections. Until December 2, the public at large will have the unique opportunity to admire these works before they are returned to their owners", the organisers explained at the inauguration on Friday.
The main attraction will be the "Young girl with red stockings" by the Italian painter Amedeo Modigliani, a portrait of a young dancer with brown hair, sitting quietly on a chair wearing a black dress, red stockings and yellow ballet shoes.
The stolen painting was returned to its owner, a private collector, by the police in 2004.
Numerous works of 16th and 17th century art are on display to the public, including "The Immaculate Conception" by the Italian Giandomenico Tiepolo and two canvases by Giovan Francesco Barbieri, better known by his nickname "il Guerchino", or "the squinter".
"The Ivory Face" is one artefact expected to attract attention for its mysterious origins. The mask, made using the chryselephantine technique combining ivory and gold, has remarkably well preserved fine features, but has left experts baffled about its age or provenance.
The mask was discovered in 1994 by illegal amateur excavators near Rome and spent years on the clandestine art market before being recovered by the Carabinieri.
Other artefacts include Etruscan pottery and antique marble statues.
The police force has had a department dedicated to the protection of Italy's cultural heritage for 37 years.
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AFPEntertainment-Italy-art-crime
AFP 271900 GMT 10 06
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