Meanwhile, a valuable bronze statue removed by wheelbarrow from an
East Lothian gallery more than a year ago has been found buried in woods
near the scene of the raid.
Detectives, acting on information, made the discovery of the #24,000
work, known as Football Supporters, during a search yesterday of
woodlands near Haddington.
The recovery of the 26in-high statue -- said to be in good condition
-- comes only days before its creator, Ukrainian artist Valentin Znoba,
is due to arrive in Scotland to mount an exhibition of his work at the
festival.
Arrangements are now being made for Znoba to travel in person to
Haddington police station to collect the statue, which has three
figures, two sitting on a bench and another standing behind.
Yesterday the directors of the Sands Gallery at Haddington,
celebrating the discovery of the work, telephoned Kiev to tell the
sculptor it had been found safe and undamaged nearly 14 months after
what they termed had been ''a violent smash and grab raid''.
Gallery director Mrs Gill Bethell said last night: ''I can't express
enough our thanks to Lothian and Borders Police. The Ukrainian
Ambassador is a close friend of Valentin's and is coming to Edinburgh
soon to visit the exhibition.
''I feel so relieved that we have been able to tell him that one of
Ukraine's national treasures has been recovered.''
Mrs Bethell spoke of the ''pure coincidence'' that 50 of the artist's
works, some on loan from the Ukrainian National Museum of Fine Arts,
would be arriving overnight for the festival exhibition at Edinburgh's
Morningside Church.
Znoba himself will arrive on Wednesday and, once the work is collected
from the police station, it will take pride of place in the exhibition
at which a tribute will be on show to the police.
Mr John Bethell said they were ''gobsmacked'' about the find. ''I was
in Kiev just 10 days ago, going over an inventory of the pieces for the
exhibition. Valentin looked at me and asked if there was any news and I
told him not to give up hope.''
Last year there was a series of thefts involving statues in the
Lothians and at the time detectives did not rule out a link and the
possibility they were ''stolen-to-order'' raids.
Among items stolen were a #2000 bust from the foyer of Edinburgh Royal
Infirmary and a #10,000 classical statue of a winged god from a stately
home in East Lothian.
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