MADRID, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Spanish National Police on Thursday confirmed they have recovered three of the five paintings by British artist Francis Bacon, which were stolen in Madrid in 2015.
The paintings were originally stolen in July 2015 from the central Madrid home of a friend of the artist, (who is also thought to be the subject of the works), while he was away on holiday. They are estimated to have a total value of around 25 million euros.
Police were unwilling to say which of the five paintings had been recovered as the investigation is still "ongoing," however, they have made 10 arrests of people suspected to be connected to the theft, which also saw coins and jewels stolen.
The El Pais newspaper on Thursday reported that the thieves had twice attempted to sell the paintings, one of which was recovered several months ago with two others found in recent days.
Bacon was a frequent visitor to the Spanish capital and died of a heart attack while visiting the city in April 1992.
