This Friday five paintings from the famed Pop Art masters Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein were stolen from their home, in a Swedish museum. The paintings were in the Aaberg Museum, located in Baalsta just outside of Stockholm. Around 2 a.m. Swedish time the works were stolen from the museum, which comprised of three Roy Lichtenstein paintings and two Andy Warhols.

Carina Aaberg, the chief executive of the Aaberg Museum, stated:

Police have been seeking witnesses in the neighbourhood, she said. The stolen pieces have a value of $503,000 US.

This is extremely sad.

They have stolen some of our most prized possessions — some very valuable artworks — and they knew exactly what they were after.

As stolen artwork of this nature is impossible to sell on publicly, it’s likely that the works will be sold to private collectors who are well aware of the fact that they are stolen. This means it’s unlikely the paintings will ever resurface.