A painting by world-famous artist Jackson Pollock worth €50 million was found in Bulgaria during an operation by the Bulgarian and Greek services to fight organised crime under the coordination of Europol, according to Bulgarian National Radio.

The Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office confirmed an investigation into the now seized painting started on 18 February and is currently underway. Еxpert examination shows that the painting – estimated to reach €50 million at auction – could be authentic, but further research is needed.

The operation was carried out on the territory of Sofia, Athens and the island of Crete and was aimed at neutralising the activities of a criminal group engaged in the trafficking of cultural heritage, according to the radio’s sources.

Three Greek citizens and one Bulgarian have been detained so far.

The painting seized during the operation was handed over to specialists from the National Art Gallery.

Experts have come to the conclusion that it is an original uncatalogued work from 1949 by Jackson Pollock – an American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. One of his paintings recently sold for US$200 million in a private purchase.

In parallel actions carried out by the Greek police on the island of Crete and in Athens, a total of five other paintings by famous artists were seized.

(Krassen Nikolov | EURACTIV.bg)