Art thieves target high-value works.

Two passengers on the Carnival Legend cruise ship were suspected of stealing two sculptures by American artists that were to be auctioned onboard when the auctioneer reported them missing on 1 October, a day after the vessel returned to Baltimore, Maryland, USA, after one week at sea.

Stolen were a lucite sculpture by Robert Wyland titled "Kiss the Sea," depicting two sea turtles, valued at $6,200, and Marcus Glenn's work titled "Tappin' the Keys for the Love," depicting a man playing the piano with a heart in the background and worth $6,600, according to ABC News.

Federal Bureau of Investigation agents tracked down the alleged thieves based on the CCTV footage of the Carnival Legend art gallery. A photo on one of the suspect's Facebook pages showed the man wearing the same clothes as the thief caught by the surveillance camera in the art gallery.

A search warrant on the suspect's house reportedly yielded the stolen sculptures. Charges are being prepared against the two suspects.

Meanwhile, four suspected burglars who allegedly stole a "golden" exhibit and caused damage at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, England, in September 2019 are to appear in court in Oxford on 28 November.

Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan's artwork, valued at £4.8 million ($5.9 million), was taken from the birthplace of former prime minister Winston Churchill, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

British police said thieves broke into the 18th-century palace before closing and made off with the 18-carat gold toilet, ripping it from its plumbing and causing "significant damage and flooding," Agence France-Presse reported.

Burglary, theft, and vandalism suspects James Sheen, 39; Michael Jones, 38; Fred Doe, 35; and Bora Guccuk, 39, are now in the hot seat for stealing the precious toilet bowl.

WITH AFP