SEVEN valuable Aboriginal paintings stolen from a Darwin museum have been recovered, undamaged, says the Northern Territory Government.
The paintings, thought to be worth more than half a million dollars, were stolen early this morning after thieves smashed a window at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.
However the six Papunya Tula board paintings and a central Australian watercolour were found in nearby bushland this afternoon, said a spokesman for the territory’s Department of Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts.
Police searching for the two thieves will examine closed circuit TV footage and carry out DNA tests on blood found near the museum’s window – thought to have been left when a robber cut himself on broken glass.
Police later said a 37-year-old man had been arrested over the theft.
They said he was drunk at the time of the alleged break-in and was caught at a bus stop in a nearby suburb after a tip-off from a member of the public.
Senior Constable Bradley Currie said officers hoped to identify the second offender later today.
